The former singing teacher of the Norfolk teenager who wowed Britain's Got Talent judges says he can go all the way to perform for the Queen.

Spixworth singer Sam Kelly starred in the first episode of this year's run of the ITV1 talent show, receiving a standing ovation at his audition with a version of Adele's hit Make You Feel My Love.

Judge Simon Cowell told the 19-year-old that he had 'nailed it' and had an 'amazing voice', while David Walliams said he was 'completely blown away'.

But the performance came as no surprise to Samantha Coe, who gave singing lessons to former Sprowston High School pupil Sam two years ago, before he moved to Brighton to study music.

'He had a lovely voice from day one, but he was always humble about it,' she said.

'I don't think he realised how good it was. I remember him in his first couple of lessons as a slightly under-confident person, who didn't know what to do with his voice.

'I'm delighted to see that over his years at uni he has moulded himself into a quite stunning musician.'

The pair's sessions together focused on improving Sam's posture, breathing skills and vowel sounds.

'I can't take credit for him, though – I just taught him how to breathe. We worked on the Sting song Fields of Gold, and I still remember that two years on so he definitely made an impression,' said Miss Coe, 25, founder and director of The Wharf Academy in Norwich.

Sam's audition secured his progress to the callback round, when the judges will decide the 40 semi-finalists for the live shows.

His former teacher says she is sure he will be able to handle the pressure of his new-found fame to forge a bright future for himself.

'He's such a cool lad, but you can see from the first episode he will have some strong competition.

'But we know from what happened with Ronan Parke that it's not all about winning.

'He's shown the world what he can do, and can go on to have a fantastic career. He's such a genuinely nice guy, and he really deserves it.'

You can see Sam's Britain's Got Talent performance in full, and leave your messages of support, at www.eveningnews24.co.uk