Boyle, who won the show in 2009, and soon after revealed a variety of frailties, was nicknamed SuBo as part of the ongoing trend of shortening ‘celebrities’ names to form a new, ‘catchy’ moniker that newspapers can use in headlines.
However, Antoine,16, has already rejected early stabs at a nickname, saying he wasn’t enamoured with the ‘SuBoy’ tag already doing the rounds. It’s uncertain whether he is plumping for JoAn or JonToine but you can probably put a bet on it at William Hill.
“When I was in primary school, I had the mick taken out of me and it kind of damaged my confidence quite a bit and when people would say something to me it would take a little piece out of me,” the boy originally known as Jonathan said.
JToine also wants to take more than a few pieces out of himself, having pledged to lose weight – but only for health, not aesthetic reasons.
“I am the way I am and I always will be – if other people don’t like me, then that’s their choice but I quite like me.”
It may have been a tough run so far for SuBoy/JonToine/JoAn but he surely reached a new level of personal growth with his show-stopping rendition of The Prayer on Saturday night.
About nine million stay-at-homers watched judge Alesha Dixon describe it as ‘world class’, and show head honcho Simon Cowell say: “Jonathan, you are unbelievable. I mean seriously you have an outstandingly good voice. You are a future star.”
Cowell, as is his style, originally scoffed at the teen’s appearance, muttering ‘‘just when you thought things couldn’t get any worse” but soon shut his mouth when Antoine opened his.
Antoine says it wasn’t until his voice broke four years ago that he discovered his singing potential. He now attends the Royal College of Music in London one day a week and looks set for a long career – whatever the media finally decides to christen him.
