Index  ›  world  ›  BBC
world · BBC ↗

Girl, five, dies days after singing for Simon Cowell

BBC Published Jun 8, 2010 Reviewed Jul 2, 2026 ✓ Reviewed by citations.press editors
Citation-ready fact
Bethany Fenton, a five-year-old from Gloucestershire, died on Tuesday, days after singing for Simon Cowell on Saturday.
5 years · Bethany Fenton1 days · time between performance and death
View source ↗
Citation-ready fact
Bethany Fenton fought the illness for over a year.
more than 1 years · illness duration
View source ↗
Citation-ready fact
In 2009, Bethany’s family was told by surgeons in America that there was "no hope" for her.
2009 · diagnosis/prognosis event
View source ↗
Citation-ready fact
A fundraising campaign aimed to raise £50,000 to send Bethany for treatment at a specialist clinic in the USA.
50000 GBP · fundraising target
View source ↗
Citation-ready fact
In the first five days of the fundraising campaign, £10,000 was given or promised in cash, 30 fundraising events were lined up, and someone anonymously offered the full £50,000 required.
5 days · fundraising period10000 GBP · cash pledged or donated30 events · fundraising events lined up50000 GBP · anonymous full pledge
View source ↗

Last year surgeons told her family there was "no hope"

A five-year-old from Gloucestershire has lost her battle with a brain tumour days after fulfilling her ambition to sing for Simon Cowell.

Bethany Fenton, who performed Twinkle Twinkle Little Star for the Britain's Got Talent judge on Saturday, died on Tuesday with her family at her side.

Bethany, from Fairford, fought the illness for over a year and was said to be "over the moon" at meeting the star.

Cowell's spokesman Max Clifford said: "He is really upset."

Mr Clifford said: "He said what a beautiful little girl she was.

"He is just so sad, and sad for the whole family. She was a very special little girl and Simon was so touched when she sang for him.

"He was happy that he was able to do a special something on Saturday night to give her a few precious moments but it is so sad and his heart goes out to Bethany's mum and dad and he is thinking of them."

Bethany also met the Britain's Got Talent finalists in the special trip at the weekend.

Her mother Jemma and father Sean, a PE teacher, are "devastated" by her death, family spokesman Robin Thompson said.

Mr Thompson added: "They came back from Britain's Got Talent on Saturday. On Sunday she was fine, she was absolutely over the moon with what happened.

"On Monday morning she started being very poorly and the illness went on throughout the night and reached a bad stage this morning."

She was taken to the John Radcliffe Hospital, in Oxford, for treatment but died later.

In 2009 Bethany's family was told by surgeons in America that there was "no hope" for her. She had also received radiotherapy and chemotherapy.

A fund-raising campaign, which had been set up to try to raise the £50,000 needed to send her for treatment at a specialist clinic in the USA, was put on hold last September.

Speaking then, Mr Thompson said: "In the first five days we've had £10,000 given or promised in cash, 30 [fundraising] events lined up, and had heard someone had telephoned anonymously and offered all £50,000 [required for Bethany's treatment]."

This article was originally published by BBC ↗. citations.press indexes the source-backed facts above and links to the original. Something wrong? Corrections policy · Report an error