Britain's Got Talent star Jai McDowall was on brink of bankruptcy after big win

Jai McDowall was on the brink of bankruptcy just a few years after winning 'Britain's Got Talent'.

The 37-year-old singer took home the £100,000 prize on the ITV competition back in 2011, but a series of bad decisions meant he found himself struggling.

He told The Sun newspaper: "I’ve done OK. Twelve years on I’m still working. But there was definitely a period where it took a dramatic drop.

“Finances, work, all of that stuff took a very big dive to a point where I did actually think about bankruptcy.

“I didn’t do it because, thankfully, I’ve got a brilliant support network. But I did get to a point where I was like, ‘Is this it, is this over?’ "

Jai, who is now a member of operatic group G4, admitted he "made some bad choices" and "spent loads of money" after signing "with a few people in Scotland".

He explained: “It came to a point where, on paper, you’re asset rich. But I was cash poor. That was pretty much me.

“I moved in with my parents at the time. I did have property but I had no money.

“That took a long time and a lot of grit and determination for me to get back out of that.”

Despite the highs of his big win 13 years ago, Jai admitted the concept of fame was "so hard to deal with" and it wasn't long before he was dropped from his record deal.

He said: "My experience of BGT was great. Afterwards, for the first year, obviously you get all the work and all the good things. And that’s when it starts to go south.

“I had about eight months and then Sony didn’t renew my one album deal and it’s still quite a difficult thing to deal with.

“I went from a normal guy who wasn’t in the industry, to then being on the telly."