Britain's Got Talent spotlight changed county lives

The final of the 2014 competition will be screened tonight, to an estimated audience of 12 million and rewarding ITV with an advertising bonanza.

And for those taking part, there is the knowledge that they have been given an opportunity to change their lives for ever.

Synchronised swimmer Zoe Cooper, who found fame as part of Aquabatique in 2012, has never looked back from her appearance.

"Britain's Got Talent has certainly enhanced my life," She said. "Two weeks after the show I had been asked to model and launch the Nichole De Carle swimwear range."

The 30-year-old's appearance on the talent show has led to appearances in major films and London Fashion Week.

Earlier this year, the business manager for the Swimming Teacher's Association based in Walsall, made a dazzling silver screen debut in the new Disney film The Muppets Most Wanted.

Zoe, who is also a member of the synchronised swimming team Aquabatix, features in the movie's glittering grand finale.

It also stars Miss Piggy, dancers and a host of other synchronised swimmers in fuschia pink swimsuits and floral caps.

She said: "It was very Disney, all glitzy and glamorous and I was so starstruck with the Muppets. I was more starstruck meeting Kermit the Frog than I was meeting Simon Cowell!"

A talented animal trainer from the Shropshire border who danced her way into the final of BGT with her collie Gin is now training dogs to sniff out bombs in Afghanistan.

Kate Nicholas, from Norbury, near Whitchurch, has joined the Royal Army Veterinary Corps, or RAVC.

She works in the puppy development section, the canine boot camp where new dog recruits are taught basic obedience before further training.

There she uses the same training techniques which found her success with Gin.

The 22-year-old and her dancing canine companion narrowly missed out on scooping £100,000 prize money after reaching the final of the show in 2008.

Though the dog has now retired to the family home in Norbury, Private Nicholas said: "We had four years of being in the public eye and being TV stars. I owe her the world really."

The trainer also appeared in TV series Animal Heroes, an ITV documentary series about the work of the RAVC.

Knocked out in the semi-finals of BGT in 2013 were ballroom and latin dancers AJ Pritchard, 19, of Burleydam, and Chloe Hewitt, 18, from No Mans Heath, near Whitchurch.

Despite not reaching the final, the show has provided a platform for the dancers to showcase their talents.

Since this year's show the pair have travelled all over the country winning competitions and enhancing their reputations.

And they say their recent success is helping them achieve their goal of becoming the top ranked Latin and ballroom dancers in the world.

Since appearing on the show, the pair became the UK Closed Youth Ballroom Champions & Latin Champions 2013, The British National Youth Latin Champions 2013 and The British National Youth Ballroom Champions 2013.

AJ said: "We are trying to get to the world number one in ballroom and Latin. We are currently seventh in Latin and fifth in ballroom, so we are nearly there.

"We train about three hours every day. We need to do more training to try to get better results in competitions."

He added that life became very hectic for the pair after the ITV talent show.

As well as stepping up training and taking part in the competitions, they were even asked to turn on the Christmas lights in Whitchurch.

"Everything has been going amazing for us," he said.

"We got a phone call to turn the Christmas lights on in Whitchurch – it was amazing.

"It was a weird feeling but it was really good and it was a nice surprise.

"Locally we are quite well known – it's nice when people stop us."

This year's favourites are Bars and Melody, real names Leondre Devries, aged 13, along with South Gloucestershire singer Charlie Lenehan, aged 15.

The youngsters impressed the judges in their first appearance with their creative rap about bullying.

They are now the top choice to take home the £250,000 prize money and the chance to perform at the Royal Variety Performance.