Britain's Got Talent magician Jake Banfield has revealed that winning the ITV show could help him and his wife Leanne expand their family. The couple already have a three-year-old daughter, Mia, but the £250,000 prize would provide greater financial security for more children.
Banfield, 37, impressed judges and viewers with his card and stopwatch illusion during his audition, which featured his wife and daughter on stage. Judge Amanda Holden was moved by the family involvement. However, Simon Cowell urged him to add more showmanship, saying the act as it stood wouldn't take him to Vegas.
As he prepares for tonight's semi-final, Banfield admits that increasing the family is 'definitely on the cards'. He recently moved from a two-bedroom to a three-bedroom house in Bushey, Hertfordshire, and said: 'Having one kid was a shock to the system. I think two is good. And maybe if I won the show then we’d have the budget for three.'
Banfield, who grew up in Hornchurch, Essex, learned magic at a local shop and says it helped build his confidence. He met his wife Leanne while performing at a wedding. He described his approach: 'Because I’m an ordinary family guy, whenever I do something impossible, it’s almost stronger because the judges are disarmed, the audience is disarmed. It’s like my little superpower.'
The magician has taken Cowell's advice on board for his semi-final act, calling it 'the biggest thing that I’ve attempted before'. While his family will be there to support him, he remains tight-lipped about whether they will join him on stage. The last of the BGT semi-finals airs tonight at 7pm on ITV, with the final next Saturday.
