Calum Scott: Britain's Got Talent star on fame, mental health and dealing with body dysmorphia

Calum Scott

There was a moment in Calum Scott's life when he found himself contemplating taking his own life.

The 36-year-old singer-songwriter tells Sky News: "I did get to a point where I had a very low self-esteem, very low self-worth... I thought, 'I can't see how my life will get any better from this moment'."

He says it was only the thought of the "shattering" impact his death would have on his mum Debbie that pulled him back from the edge and gave him the momentum to reach out for help.

"What I thought was my lowest moment was probably my most defining moment in terms of being able to pick myself up... and to walk away, albeit with lots of tears and a lot of emotion.

"That was the moment that I needed to pursue better mental health."

He's since racked up a billion streams of his music, joining the likes of The Rolling Stones, Whitney Houston and ABBA in his achievement. His biggest UK chart hit - a cover of Robyn's Dancing On My Own - reached number two in the singles chart, with the video having been viewed more than half a billion times on YouTube. It's a future he would have found hard to comprehend just a decade ago.

Scott was working in the HR department of Hull City Council when Britain's Got Talent made him an overnight star after receiving a "golden buzzer" (an automatic pass into the semi-finals) from judge Simon Cowell. Scott reached the final, which was won by Jules O'Dwyer and her dog Matisse - and the singer's success was the things dreams are made of. But he admits, it wasn't all roses.

Calum performing with Take That at the King's coronation