Potts, From Salesman to Star

click here for a complete Paul Potts article from KoreaTimes.co.kr 

A humble-looking man stood anxiously in front of the crowd as the judges stared indifferently at the stage. But a few minutes later, the audience and the judges were suddenly enraptured by the operatic number, Puccini's operatic classic ``Nessun Dorma.''

The man, the show's hero, was Paul Potts. Before lifting the crowd to standing ovations on "Britain's Got Talent" last year, he worked as a mobile phone salesman.

The 36-year-old rising star was a shy guy with some financial difficulties and didn't draw much interest from people around him. He was sometimes bullied in school and that experience may have had an influence on his lack of self-confidence.

But after he shot to stardom and his rendition became one of the all-time most-viewed clips on You Tube viewed by 13.5 million in the final rounds, he saw a lot of changes around him.

``The support I've had has been incredible and I feel so touched and humbled by it. It has done so much for my confidence and I really can't thank people enough for giving me the chance to realize my dream,'' Potts said in an email interview with The Korea Times.

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