Britain’s Got Talent act Sonny Green has opened up to the Mirror about his star turn on this Saturday’s show which caps a remarkable turnaround for the star who was once in the grip of addiction
17:33, 27 Feb 2026Updated 17:34, 27 Feb 2026
Britain’s Got Talent star Sonny Green wows on the show after extraordinary life (Image: Tom Dymond)
He brings the house down on Britain’s Got Talent on Saturday night as Ant and Dec look on close to tears. Sonny Green’s emotional poem celebrating diversity earns the rapper several standing ovations, including from the judges. As the crowd rises to their feet for the final time, he says “Love you, Dad,” and draws a love heart on his chest with his hands.
The true meaning of the gesture will be lost to the millions watching at home. For Sonny it was a tender tribute to the man whose death inspired him to turn his life around after it had been fast spiralling out of control because of drink and drugs. Speaking to the Mirror, Sonny – who has been clean for seven years – told how he knew things had to change after watching his dad Martin succumb to addictions aged just 48.
He says: “Even though my dad was struggling, he still helped so many people, who tell me how much he did for them when they were in need. I was 23 when he passed away and that was a wake-up call for me to change my life. My son was born in 2018, so it all happened at once. Before he was born, I decided to change my life, stop drinking and taking drugs, and go on the straight and narrow. Becoming a father changed my life.”
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Sonny opens up
BGT star
Growing up in Southend-on-Sea, Essex, Sonny was regularly in trouble with the police as a teenager, and has previously been arrested for street robberies and theft. He later landed a recording contract, was playlisted on Radio 1 and toured with Pete Doherty, with the pair sharing a manager. Aged 19, he became the first rapper to perform at the House of Commons and supported Fatboy Slim.
But despite being outwardly very successful, his private life continued to unravel because of his addiction. At one point he ended up in court on a cannabis and knife charge – the latter of which he was found not guilty of – while a year-long stint as an actor on BBC show River City saw him arrested on set for drugs.
He says: “I don’t pretend to be perfect, but I do feel like I have grown up so much now. I am married, have children and I try to spread love, camaraderie and inclusivity, I hope that my hardest moments can help other people, to turn a negative into a positive in some way.” The chaos ended after witnessing the tragic death of his dad, who he says he wants to honour by going on the show. He adds: “I loved him… he was incredible but the disease of addiction took him away. If he had found recovery, he would have been far greater than me.”
Since then he’s been dedicated to helping others, and has also worked as a youth worker. In the wake of the horrific murder of teenager Fabian Kacica in Southend, Sonny led a peace march through the high street calling for more action against knife crime. He has been channelling his tough upbringing into his lyrics to ensure that people suffering “feel less alone”. He says: “I’m big on “turning pain into poetry. Whether it’s spoken word, music, or acting, I use my past experiences so other people can listen and go. I’ve been there. I feel how he feels. I hope that my poetry will do some good in the world! Sometimes we get distracted from the issues that matter the most, and I want to redirect our attention to those conversations.”
Sonny on the show (Image: Tom Dymond)
Sonny and his wife Ella
However it hasn’t all been plain sailing since going sober. A campaign to become a Labour councillor was derailed after a political website uncovered offensive tweets that were written when he was in the depths of his addiction. There were also explicit tweets directed at former Prime Minister Theresa May. He says: “When I was a teenager – about 15 – I wasn’t as thoughtful and social media was a fairly new thing… like all kids I would do and write stupid things – things that I look back on now, and I’m ashamed about. Now I use my words for good and positivity. So, hopefully, with my experiences, I can pass them on to my children to help them learn from my mistakes and to understand that words really do matter – and you have to always think about them.”
Sonny performs his astonishing spoken-word piece, What England Means to Me, on the ITV show. Viewers may have heard it before as it accompanied the New Year’s Eve fireworks on TV. The lyrics include: “England to me is Caribbean barbers with a sharpish trim, it’s Christian neighbours saying Happy Hanukkah mate, and Muslim mums saying Merry Christmas love.”
Sonny, who has kids Levi and Raphael with wife Ella, hopes that by going on the show, he will inspire youngsters to know that anything is possible, as well as trying to make the world less divided and shine a light on child poverty. He adds: “I’m passionate about young people growing up with parents in addiction, as well as those in poverty, of which there are 4.5million children affected. They might be watching BGT and find out you can still do great things. All these problems – addiction, immigration – are complex. All we can do is take personal responsibility in our own communities.Don’t just go online and moan; go out and talk to people. Have a cup of tea. We can have different faiths or political opinions and still get along and have a laugh.”
Sonny, whose music career has been on the back-burner and now works as a market trader, would love to win the show. Indeed, he would be the first poet to do so in the show’s history. He explains: “The aim is to speak for the nation and represent an art form that this island is famous for.We produced the best poets ever, but it doesn’t always have to sound like Shakespeare. It can sound like Sonny Green. Poetry isn’t stuck in bygone years; it’s a modern art form.You don’t need an expensive guitar; you just need a pen, paper, or the notes on your iPhone.”
And he explains that he hopes his other poems resonate as much when he performs them on the show. “I’ve got a few poems I’m flirting with. Basically, expect more poetry and more social commentary,” he says. want to share some ‘home truths’ from my heart that people find hard to talk about.”
BGT is on ITV1 on Saturday at 7pm.