Britain's Got Talent: Who is 88-year-old singer Colin Thackery?

29 May 2019, 10:31 | Updated: 3 June 2019, 17:30

Chelsea Pensioner Colin Thackery, now 89, has reached the Britain's Got Talent semi-finals in the hopes of singing for the Queen at the Royal Variety Performance.

Colin Thackery hopes to win the show so he can pay tribute to his late wife Joan, three years she passed away.

The army veteran sang Bette Midler classic 'The Wind Beneath My Wings' for his audition, and it's no surprise that it was all rather emotional.

Speaking to The Mirror ahead of his appearance on the show, Colin said he wants to perform in front of The Queen, after spending 25 years serving in the 45th Regiment of the Royal Artillery.

BGT judge David Walliams was particularly surprised to see Colin, as the pair briefly met in 2018 while David was researching for his latest novel, according to the Daily Mail.

Who is Colin Thackery?

Colin Thackery | There But Not There

Colin served in the Royal Artillery for 25 years, but went to war in Korea just two weeks after marrying his partner Joan.

The war hero lost a part of his hearing during the war, but has enjoyed singing for many years, and will be the oldest contestant in the 2019 series.

Speaking about how his wife would have felt about his audition, Colin said: "Joan had a very good alto voice. In fact, we both sang together in an operatic society. She would have been highly critical, if I'd done anything wrong.

"She was a typical northern girl, they don't say a lot, but they think a lot. But she would have been delighted."

Colin had two children and four grandchildren with Joan, and they lived in Norwich until her death three years ago.

He now lives at the Royal Hospital Chelsea with the Chelsea Pensioners.

He added: "I served her for 25 years, I'd love to sing to [The Queen]. If I did, I would die happy."