Britain’s Got Talent is the ultimate opportunity for wannabe entertainers, aspiring singers, and all manner of hopeful individuals to showcase their talents and become the next biggest star. These acts come in many forms and are not always to everybody’s taste. As we will come to find, this act in particular was initially dismissed by Judge Simon Cowell, but he had no idea what was awaiting him.
When Paddy & Nico enter the stage of the 2014 Britain’s Got Talent competition, they seem to be clad in ballroom gear, and thus it’s assumed that a ballroom performance would happen. The audience was in for the shock of their lives, however, when the dynamic duo unexpectedly burst into an explosive salsa routine that blew the judges away. Watch their dazzling performance in the video below:
As Paddy and Nico begin their act, Simon Cowell is bored as he expects yet another ballroom performance, which is hardly his favorite genre of dance. However, when the pair switch to their salsa routine, they are met by a wide-eyed Simon, whose mind has been changed by this unlikely duo. Paddy is 79 but moves with the dancing grace and stamina of someone half her age.
Little did the audience know that Paddy is quite the dark horse. Sarah Patricia Jones (Paddy) is, in fact, an esteemed salsa dancer, with plenty of practice in the craft. She had been dancing from a young age – two-and-a-half, according to her post-performance interview on Britain’s Got Talent – until the age of 22, when she met her husband. After he sadly passed in 2003, Paddy took up flamenco dancing to fill her time. She was taught by Nico, who is half her age.
After Paddy and Nico’s performance, Simon apologized for buzzing the pair off before their salsa routine began. A changed man, Cowell realized the talent that the duo had and retracted his buzzer. However, that did not matter, as judge Amanda Holden pressed the coveted Golden Buzzer during their performance, which secured them an immediate place in the competition’s semi-final.
After a dazzling performance in 2014’s Britain’s Got Talent, Paddy and Nico went forward in the competition and ultimately ended in ninth place, which is incredibly respectable. Not only that, but the duo returned for another bout of the British talent competition in 2019, Britain’s Got Talent: The Champions. This time around, the then-85-year-old Paddy and her partner Nico reached the competition’s final before being eliminated.
Alongside their Britain’s Got Talent accolades, they are also known for their performances in other European talent contests, and Paddy’s entrance into the Guinness World Records as the world’s “Oldest Acrobatic Salsa Dancer”.
We wish nothing but the very best for Paddy and Nico, who continue to show the world that age is simply a number, and it is never too late to pursue a new hobby or talent. We hope that they continue to inspire and entertain for years to come. If you would like to see more from Paddy and Nico, you can follow them on Instagram.