13-year-old Cillian O’Connor on Britain's Got Talent debut: “I wanted to include as much about my autism and dyspraxia as possible”

By any metric, performing on a stage as large as Britain’s Got Talent would be a dream come true for any aspiring act. But for 13-year-old Cillian O’Connor from Co. Meath, his newfound fame means much more than just name recognition.

Since the young magician was featured on the premiere of the hit show’s newest season, his talent, passion and charisma have touched the hearts of millions. On Facebook alone, O’Connor’s audition has amassed over 80 million views since his episode aired earlier this month.

The rising magician earned four yeses from the show’s judges – Simon Cowell, Amanda Holden, Alesha Dixon and Bruno Tonioli – and a standing ovation from the crowd. He stunned the room with his captivating stage presence and mind-bending magic tricks, such as appearing to move milk from a cup to the inside of a lightbulb and having Cowell correctly guess the number of jelly beans inside a jar.

But beyond his tricks, the Irish teen, who has been diagnosed with autism and dyspraxia, wanted to use his platform to help inspire others to chase after their dreams.

“I wanted to include as much about my autism and dyspraxia as possible just so people knew that I had autism and I was very shy and struggled with my social skills, but I was brave enough to go out on the stage in front of about 4,000 people as well as Simon, Amanda, Alesha and Bruno – and just nail it,” O’Connor reflected.

He was first inspired to pursue magic after seeing Issy Simpson perform on BGT in 2017. Only 8 years old at the time of her audition, Simpson became the runner-up of her season.

“That was a huge step in magic for young magicians,” O’Connor said, adding that Simpson helped him overcome social struggles by introducing him to magic – a skill that became an outlet for him to express himself to the world.

“For anyone else who struggles socially, they should try to find something to help them express themself,” he said, listing outlets such as magic, music and art.

 

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The 13-year-old, who lives in Donacarney near Mornington, said the reaction to his viral audition from his school community has been remarkable. Not only did his school principal acknowledge him during an assembly speech about courage, but one of his teachers rewarded his accomplishment by not assigning his class any homework for a day.

However, although O’Connor didn’t appear to be nervous during his audition, the Irish teen explained that, like his magic, there was more than meets the eye.

“I was very nervous about Simon the most,” he said of the notoriously critical BGT show creator and judge. “I was standing right in front of him and while I was at the judges’ table, I was doing the tricks but my legs were shaking as I was doing them.”

The youngest member of the Society of Irish Magicians, O’Connor began performing magic during the Covid-19 lockdowns as a way to lift people’s spirits. Now, he is collaborating with other rising stars like Aidan McCann and Jasper Cherry, two other young magicians who have appeared on BGT as well as America's Got Talent: All-Stars.

While O’Connor awaits to see if he will be selected to perform in the show’s next round, he is already preparing for his next performance.

“I would cry for about 10 minutes straight if I won the competition,” he said. However, O’Connor also pointed out one ironic fact.

“It would be a bit weird – an Irish man winning Britain’s Got Talent… Now we just have to see if I get through.”

The young magician's mother, Elaine, said she was “extremely proud” of her son’s performance, especially considering how far he has come from being a shy kid who would “sit in the corner” to avoid others.

“It just shows that if you really, really want something bad enough, you can overcome your fears,” she said.

Britain's Got Talent continues on Virgin Media One on Saturday evening at 8pm.

Watch Cillian O’Connor’s viral Britain’s Got Talent audition below.