Singing in front of millions of Britain’s Got Talent viewers with the eyes of the famous judges upon her would be terrifying for most people.
But for Grenfell Tower survivor Leanne Mya, 31, performing was bliss because she knows what real fear feels like.
Leanne brought Simon Cowell, Amanda Holden, Alesha Dixon and David Walliams to tears with her performance of Sam Smith’s Lay Me Down in the audition rounds.
She said: “I started to feel like myself again, after months of feeling a bit lost. I enjoy getting lost in my music as it’s somewhere that I can both hide, but also be myself.”
On June 14, 2017, Leanne leapt from the window of her second floor flat with her then partner Joseph and 13-month-old son, and watched for six hours as the blaze which killed 72 engulfed the West London block.
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Leanne hopes her BGT appearance will ensure the nation remembers the lives lost and torn apart.
She said: “I needed to do something to highlight the plight of the victims of the fire and the injustice of it all.
“Our lives are upside down. We will never let people forget what happened.
“My hope is that one day our voices will finally be heard, and the show has given me an opportunity to help create a change.
"Wherever life takes us, we will make sure that people know our stories, individually and collectively.
"We carry all of the victims in our hearts, to make sure we never give up on getting justice.”
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Leanne said she was still haunted by memories of the horrifying blaze.
“It’s not just images, it’s sounds, smells that trigger it,” she explained.
“I have nightmares. The main thing that haunts me are the screams of the children.”
She and her family had not been living in Grenfell Tower for long when the fire broke out.
Joseph heard a commotion around 1am and woke Leanne. Initially, they thought the fire was being dealt with, but then realised they must get out.
She said: “It was when I heard the screaming and panic that I decided it was time to get out.
“Even while escaping, I still believed the fire would be put out and we would return in a matter of hours.
“I called my pastor and told him we were safe, but asked him to help me pray for the people trapped.
"None of us could have prepared for what happened next. I’ve dealt with so much guilt, while struggling to process everything that happened that night.”
- The survivors and bereaved families urge people to visit the Grenfell Utd site support.grenfellunited.org and join their silent march on the 14th of every month.
