Summary Kate Nicholas who won finals Britain's Got Talent show is now training dogs to sniff out bombs.
UNITED KINGDOM (Web Desk) - Former star of Britainís Got Talent and Puppy trainer Private Kate Nicholas with dogs Georgie and Gonzo
As a shy young dog trainer Kate Nicholas entranced millions and took Britain’s Got Talent by storm putting her moonwalking collie Gin through “canine freestyle” dance routines.
The pair danced their way to the series finals, then used their new fame to embark on a career of performances and pantomimes.
Yet five years later she has turned her back on the world of Showbusiness and put her formidable skills to a very different purpose. The 22-year-old has joined the Royal Army Veterinary Corps (RAVC) and trains dogs not to dance, but to sniff out Taliban bombs threatening British troops in Afghanistan.
“I joined the Army because I wanted to use my skills in a practical sense, rather than performing up and down the country,” she said.
Pte Nicholas works in the puppy development section, the canine boot camp where new dog recruits are taught basic obedience before further training. There she uses the same training techniques which found her success with Gin.
“You go down the same route, you use the same positive reinforcement techniques, lots of praise, lots of toys,” she said.
Army life at the Defence Animal Centre in Melton Mowbray, Leics, is a far cry from her time on the television talent show in 2008.
Though she and Gin failed to win the top prize, their routines to tunes by Moby and The Scissor Sisters were highlights of the series. Simon Cowell declared that the border collie was “one of the most talented performers in the world” and at one point tipped them to win.
