Dog lover Kate Nicholas was often reduced to tears by school bullies who teased her and made her life a misery.
But now the 16-year-old is tipped to win a hit television talent contest thanks to her dog Gin who has proved she really is a girl’s best friend.
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For Kate, of Norbury, near Whitchurch, has been tipped as the favourite to win ITV show Britain’s Got Talent by judge Simon Cowell after she performed with Gin on Saturday night’s programme.
The teenager’s performance has won words of praise from the same people who bullied her and she will appear on the show again in May, when it will be announced whether she and Gin are still in with a chance of scooping the £100,000 prize money in the live semi-finals.
Kate said she has grown up around dogs, with parents Nigel and Tina both having shown Welsh Terriers at Crufts, and sister Laura, 19, who is training to be a vet.
But for Kate, success has come at a price. She said: “The bullies called me Pedigree and every time I walked past, they would shout ‘woof’. I would be in tears but I knew that I had Gin to come home to.
“Everything I have given to her, she has given back to me. School was hard but I always had this dream of becoming a dog handler and opening my own dog school to train animals for film and television.”
And the people who taunted Kate at school heaped praise on her after her moment of fame on prime-time TV.
She said: “I had texts from the same people who shouted ‘woof’ saying ‘Wow, I didn’t realise how good Gin was. I didn’t realise you were going to be on the show. You were amazing’.”
Kate, an animal management student at Reaseheath College, near Nantwich, said she put in two hours every day training Gin, and more when there’s a show coming up, on top of walking Gin for six miles daily.
She even takes Gin to college with her once a week to use the sports hall to cram in some extra training.
Kate said she will unveil some new tricks when she next appears on the show but is keeping them under wraps until its airing in May.
Saturday’s show was watched by 10.6 million people and more than 150,000 have watched it on YouTube and other websites.
34 Comments
it seems every one is being bullied?
Well done to both of them.
Andrew you are right - it seems bullying is rife at the moment, I hope she wins to prove the bullies wrong.
WAY DA GO!!! Well done Kate and Gin… We are right behind ya. Those bullies can only sit and watch yr success now.. lap it up gal.
My dog Rocky is in love.
Gin was awesome and may be the best dog act we have ever seen, but let’s hear more acknowledgements for Kate’s extraordinary ability
WOOOW WHAT ANOTHER GREAT PERFORMANCE. IT BROUGHT TEARS TO MY EYES AGAIN. KATE & GIN MAKE A GREAT PARTNERSHIP, THE HARD WORK HAS REALLY PAID OFF FOR BOTH OF THEM. KATE IS BOUND TO RECEIVE MANY JOB OPPORTUNATIES FROM THIS AND GOOD LUCK TO HERE. KATE IS CLEARLY SHY, MORE THAN LIKELY FROM BEING BULLIED. I THINK ITV SHOULD EASE OF TRYING TO INTERVIEW HER TOO MUCH AT THE MOMENT, LET HER CONFIDENCE GROW FIRST. GO KATE & GIN ALL THE WAY TO THE ROYAL VARIETY SHOW, REMEMBER THE ROYALS LIKE DOGS TOO.
kate & Gin are Great, you are not a victim Kate you are both STARS. Well done you deserve to win.
AMAZING! i love Kate and Gins act so much! Gin is a little star and you can tell she is loving it when she dances!
The only reason they get bullied is like piers Morgan said “you have more talent then they could dream of” and as for calling some one Pedigree that is the worst insult i’ve ever heard! they arent worth worrying over! they are such a waste of skin! unlike gin and kate who rocked that stage on saturday!
KATE AND GIN TO WIN!!!!
well done Gin and Kate we are all very proud in watching you both last night and to make the final.WOW you feel on top of the world and to own a smashing border collie as Gin is. We are all rooting for you…best of luck.
well done kate and gin you both are superstars. when bullies pick on people it means that they feel very insecure about themselfs and are very jealous becuese you have something and they dont. i hope you win kate and best wishes for the fuure
neil f
Kate shows incredible determination for someone her age and should be an inspiration to many teenagers. Gin clearly knows Kate’s good nature and could never do the act so well without the trust he has for his owner.
Kate, I am sure that you will have a successful career…GO GIRL!
Go Get them Girl. All the best you deserve to go all the way. Ian xXx
Amazing performance every time!
You come away a winner!
Got two votes from me in the final!
Holly whishes she could do it too :D!
i have a husky cross german sheperd and she is 6 yrs old. can’t belive kate and gin you didn’t win you should have won you did the best profomence in the world. WELL DONE KATE AND GIN YOUR THE BEST.
Kate & Gin are brilliant. Alot of praise goes to Gin for being a brilliant abediant dog, but dont forget Kate who is a true star with a VERY GIFTED TALENT. There bond is so clear to see and are a total inspiration to teenagers and animal lovers worldwide. Should have definately won in my eyes and gets my vote everytime. You keep doing what you love Kate and dont let anything or anyone {BULLIES} stop you.
well done kate and gin you are the best and those bully have just been proven very wrong you and gin are super stars in my mind.
love u kate and gin so much x
Kates amazing i think personaly,
she has such low confidince but will still appear on t.v for her dog, and talk about the training of the dog, she must have such a good bond as its hard to train a lot of dogs to sit paw lie down and roll over without treats!!
I wished you would of won!
I want to see Gin again one day on tv.
I thought it was brillianttt.
I voted twice but I guess it wasn’t enough. =[
You two were great.
I hope you do well.
kate, you are so sweet, i think you’re a really lovely girl. no wonder your beautiful doggy has been brought up so well!! you are the cleverest performers i have ever seen. i wish you both well for the future!!!! xxxxx
kate you are a very gifted young Lady to have the patients & your love to Gin to be able to train him to do those tricks. I had a Border Collie Patch & he was a star & very Clever but Gin is the World’s number one & so are you I wish you both the very best for the future, you are very angelic.
Well done Kate I have watched your performance with Gin dozens of times and am still amazed, my Dog Guy was Crufts Disobediance champion for 10 years running
As for the bullies Kate I have never seen one come good in life
All the Best to you and Gin
gin has a really gift and i can tell how much she kate loves gin those tricks were incredibale i wish you both good luck for the future and kate also has a great gift both off them do i thought you were amazing i love kate and gin i print pictures off the computor everyday know i absoulotley thought they wre faboulous good luck for the future kate and also gin i love you i thought you were amazing!!
i luv kate and gin they shud of won but simon cowell is a twit and he cant judge thank u kate and gin u where da best and i know it and u DID win in my tearms
thanku 4 ur performance kate GOOD 1!!!!!!
In my eyes kate and gin should have been the winners, it takes something special to do something like that, you are both brilliant!!!
Hi Kate
Just to let you know that i backed you all the way on sat nite at the final. I thought that yourself and Gin were fantastic. Ye should have would. I have a border collie called ollie and he loves football. They are a lovely breed of dog.
Hope to hear from you to know if ye will be doing any more acts. Maria
i think you were the best kate and gin you should have one if it wasn’t for simon cowell he is a horrible man hes not made for this type off show in my tearms you one thanks for being the best talent you could possible be i love you kate and gin i hope you do another tv programe i engoyed it thants the part i look forward to every week i love you kate and gin i printed pictures off of them there faboulous
kate and gin were fantastic you could see the friendship they had together. congratulations
kate i think your briliant beautifal you train your dog well you are just amazing.
Kate and Gin were truly wonderful. Very entertaining and i love her dog. Kate has a very talented gift and i wish her all the luck and success in the world. You did it girl you showed those whose taunted you at school what you were made of in a non violent way. You have a lot to be proud of yourself, gin and a good family
I will always remember you and Gin:). My dog WANTS to dance like Gin;).
Kate, and Gin,
As im sure you know by now the video has reached the US. All I can say is WOW !!!!!!!!!!!!!! My Wife, and our two dogs wish you all the very best. I wish I could attach a picture of our dogs. One of them kind of looks like Gin. They were both strays till we took them in.
I think you shuld go back next year…
Just been visiting my brother in milton keynes and im gutted wont be there when you are there with your fantastic companion gin. Dont know another person who doesnt think the same as me YOU SHOULD HAVE WON. Hope to see you one day . J