"AGT: Fantasy League" is underway on NBC, and there was one returning contestant on Monday night's (Jan. 8) show judge Simon Cowell most certainly remembers. Her name is Julia Carlile, and she is a member of the U.K.-based dance group, MerseyGirls, who competed on Season 11 of "Britain's Got Talent." During her initial appearance, she explained to the judges that she has scoliosis and would be ending her dance career after undergoing surgery. Cowell, however, paid for her 2017 surgery in America, which allowed her to continue dancing with the group.
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During their returning appearance to "AGT: Fantasy League," where Mel B. picked them up as a member of her team, Carlile was able to thank Cowell for his generosity.
"We've all been dancing together since we were literally tiny and it's what we all wanted to do as a career," said Carlile, according to People. "That didn't end up happening for me. I was diagnosed with a condition called scoliosis, which is a curvature of the spine, and I was told my dance career would end after I get surgery to fix that. So we were like, 'Let's go out with a bang before my surgery,' so we applied to "Britain's Got Talent." That's when we ended up getting on the show and I met Simon. And he completely changed my life."
She continues to explain that there was a surgery option in America that would allow her to continue dancing, and Cowell made the dream of that surgery a reality.
"So he flew me out," Carlile adds. "My dream was taken away from me, and in a split second, Simon just gave that dream back to me. I can dance now, for the rest of my life."
Cowell reportedly paid $223,000 U.S. dollars for the surgery, according to the Daily Mail.
On Monday night's episode, the troupe performed a dance to Pink's song "Trust Fall." For some of the judges, it wasn't their favorite performance.
"It was very good, and it is a beautiful story and I'm really moved ... but I don't know if it's great," said judge Howie Mandel.
Heidi Klum then called the performance "a little bit snoozy."
Cowell, however, had positive comments for the group.
"I like acts who want to win, who put the hours in and get better, and that's what you did tonight," he said. "Mel's right — a lot of other people would've just said goodbye and carried on without you, but they didn't. They stuck by you ... I think you're gonna inspire a lot of people, and I think the audience will vote you through because you deserve it."
