By Louis Marlow

Luke Lenihan has been celebrating his Britain’s Got Talent (BGT) success after receiving four “yeses” from the judges.

Professional magician Luke, 24, of Lindley, wowed the judges on the ITV talent show last October but wasn’t able to talk about it – until now.

Luke, who is available to hire for corporate events, private parties and socials, was headhunted by BGT talent scouts, though he wouldn’t have appeared on the show had it not been for his friends.

The magician told Huddersfield Hub that he was initially hesitant when it came to appearing on the show as he was worried about producing an act that was different enough to stand out.

But he need not have worried. Now, eight months later, Luke hailed the experience as the best of his life and spoke proudly of securing four yeses from the star-studded panel of judges.

Simon Cowell said the performance was “something that had never been seen before” and added: “I now believe in magic.”

However, it wasn’t all smooth sailing. The rehearsal before Luke’s big appearance went very well but on the night, judge Bruno Tonioli was “very complicated” and “milked the moment”, asking lots of questions.

Fortunately, Luke had already managed to win the audience over. He described how the whole crowd booed the judge at this moment.

After a roaring success on the stage, Luke received an email from ITV asking him to pitch his act for the BGT semi-finals.

Sadly for the magician, this is where his BGT journey ended – with a “disheartening” email three weeks later explaining that he hadn’t got through to the next round. Unfortunately, Luke also discovered that his performance wouldn’t air on television.

Luke, who attended Salendine Nook High School and Huddersfield New College, was a rugby league player as a youngster, but soon decided that this sporty path wasn’t for him.

Instead he tried his hand at impressing his schoolmates with card tricks. He said that finding magic saved his life and gave him an outlet to make new friends and boost his self-confidence.

Looking to the future, Luke wants to focus on his career in performance and one day hopes to host his own TV show. He currently performs all over the UK and Ireland at private bookings.

The likes of Floyd Mayweather, Robert DeNiro, and Anthony Joshua have seen his act. Joshua was so impressed that he invited Luke to perform at his niece’s birthday.

When asked for his best trick, Luke said the answer changes every time. Some of his favourites include changing lottery tickets into cash, making cards appear in impossible places, and that he has been experimenting with tricks involving technology as of late.

The BGT experience isn’t Luke’s first brush with fame. In 2021, he appeared on an episode of the E4 show First Dates.

He said that, while he and his date Saskia keep in touch, their potential romance was marred by Covid lockdowns, closures of meeting places and travel restrictions.

Luke wants his message to be to “never take your foot off the gas – have a goal, a passion, and keep chasing it.”

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