Britain’s Got Talent finalist Tom Ball has shared how his journey on the ITV variety programme helped him have his first child.
The 26-year-old rose to fame on the 2022 series of Simon Cowell’s competition, which was won by comedian Axel Blake.
He then returned to the show in 2023, voicing Noodle, and has appeared on America’s Got Talent: All Stars as a golden buzzer finalist.
Like those who performed on the stage before him, including Susan Boyle and Paul Potts, Tom’s life changed overnight.
The singer was able to quit his job as a teacher and now has a full-time career recording and producing music, having sold out shows, amassed nearly 100million views online, and a new album for 2025.
But he had no idea how his life would change in other ways, and even help him start a family.
‘I’ve been so fortunate, and I feel such a deep connection with Britain’s Got Talent and America’s Got Talent,’ he told Metro.
‘It changed my life overnight, because suddenly I was known and I had this platform, and I was so incredibly lucky to have this platform.
‘And it gave me the opportunity to seek other opportunities, to sign my first record deal, to go on my first tour.
‘And also, it does sound a little bit corny, but without it, I probably wouldn’t have my family right now, because with the pregnancy we had to go through IVF treatment, and for anyone that’s been through IVF know it’s a rollercoaster.’
Tom recalled the ‘ups and downs’ that he and wife Hannah went through during their IVF journey, after being told the NHS wouldn’t fund them and ‘deemed it not worth investing in because they didn’t think it would be successful’.
‘As a teacher, I would never have been able to afford the IVF treatment privately, so we’re incredible lucky,’ he said.
‘It changed my life both professionally and personally, and given me an opportunity to start my family with Hannah.’
The couple, who have been together for nine years, knew from early on in their relationship that they wanted to start a family together at some point.
Once he became a full-time teacher, and with Hannah in a secure job as a NHS paediatric nurse, they decided to start trying, but after trying to conceive naturally for some time, their suspicions arose.
‘We unfortunately got the news that together we were just simply not going to be able to naturally conceive, or that the likelihood of us naturally conceiving is incredibly low,’ Tom recalled.
‘And then the devastating blow that the NHS weren’t even going to fund it, and so if we wanted a family, we had to fund it in some way.’
The couple spent months researching various clinics in the UK and abroad, discussing all their different options with friends in similar experiences, and eventually found one they chose.
They’d been told to hope for around three eggs, but surprisingly received ten.
‘Every single day, you get a phone call from the clinic, telling you how many [eggs] have survived, and how many are fertilized,’ Tom said, revealing how they were heartbreakingly ‘counting them down’.
‘So the first day was ten, the next day was seven, the next day was like five, and by the time day five came around we only had two, and so that week we were just praying and hoping and keeping our fingers crossed, all we needed was one.’
In the end, not only is Hannah pregnant with one of their children, but they also have two eggs in the freezer for future babies.
As well as the nerves of being a first-time dad, Tom also shared how excited he was, saying: ‘It’s really started to sink in now.’
He’s also set to embark on his new tour just weeks after their baby arrives and has a new album coming out, and alongside managing his lack of sleep and balancing his music, has to be careful with his health.
At the age of eight, Tom was diagnosed with type one diabetes, with his symptoms at the time being weight loss, thirst, and going to the toilet frequently.
The incurable condition left him feeling ‘quite isolated’ at school, as he’d hide in music rooms during lunchtime to take his injections, hoping others wouldn’t notice and he wouldn’t stand out.
‘While it’s a challenge, and some days are better than than others,’ Tom said.
He went on: ‘It’s never stopped me doing anything I’ve wanted to do. I mean, I get to travel the world, I get to stand on stages, I get to do all these incredible things, and while its a hindrance, it’s manageable.’
Tom added: ‘The moment you get out on the road the routine changes slightly, and so that might throw it again.
‘It’s a constant battle, but a battle at the moment that I feel like I’m winning.’
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