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Strictly Come Dancing result: Kent singer Hrvy, from Hartley runner up in final

Pop sensation Hrvy has finished as a runner up in this year's Strictly Come Dancing final.

The singer, from Kent, and professional dancer Janette Manrara were pipped at the post by Bill Bailey and his dance partner Oti Mabuse who lifted the glitter ball trophy.

Hrvy and Janette Manrara danced an American Smooth to One (Singular Sensation) from A Chorus Line in week seven. BBC - Photographer: Guy Levy
Hrvy and Janette Manrara danced an American Smooth to One (Singular Sensation) from A Chorus Line in week seven. BBC - Photographer: Guy Levy

The final brought to an end the nine-week series which saw Hrvy, from Hartley, score the first 10s of the series.

The couple chose to dance the American Smooth to One (Singular Sensation) from A Chorus Line, performed their showdance to Boogie Wonderland by Brittany Murphy and the judges' pick was their jive to Faith by Stevie Wonder featuring Ariana Grande from week one. He also got a special good luck recorded message from his nan and grandad, who are celebrating their Diamond wedding anniversary today.

Hrvy's come a long way since we interviewed him back in January 2014 when he was just 14.

The teenage singer was then hoping to take the world by storm - but said don’t compare him to Justin Bieber.

Then still known as plain old Harvey, he was catapulted into the spotlight when East 17 singer Blair Dreelan saw a video of him on Facebook the previous year.

The youngster was just 14 when we interviewed him. Picture: Steve Crispe
The youngster was just 14 when we interviewed him. Picture: Steve Crispe

Blair, who runs his own management company Alphadog, originally planned to put Harvey into a boy band but then decided he had what it took to go solo.

The teenager was quickly snapped up by global music label Universal and had become an internet sensation boasting 170,000 followers on Facebook, 21,000 followers on Twitter and 44,000 on Instagram. Figures in 2020 have rocketed to 4.6 million Instagram fans, 2.4 million Youtube subscribers and 3.8 TikTok followers.

Due to his rise via the web, the youngster was often compared to Justin Bieber who became a star after a video of him performing was seen on YouTube.

Harvey wasn't keen on the comparison to the Canadian singer, and much preferred to emulate his idols Justin Timberlake and Craig David.

Harvey’s mum Nicky Cantwell, got in touch with us as her son's success started to grow, and said the sky was the limit for him and she could see him one day performing at the O2 Arena in London.

Harvey with mum Nicky back in 2014
Harvey with mum Nicky back in 2014

However, she did admit his success was taking a while to sink in.

She said in our 2014 interview: “It’s surreal. I went to the video shoot and you cannot believe how many people are involved in the production. It’s amazing but he takes it all in his stride.

“I would say he is not your average 14-year-old; he’s very worldly and he soaks up all the information presented to him.”

Despite his ever-growing following, Mrs Cantwell said her son was keeping his ego in check.

The Leigh Technology Academy student was “mobbed” by adoring female fans when he visited a football tournament and his mum said he enjoyed the attention, as long as it was in the appropriate place. He preferred to keep a low profile at school.

She said: “I will always keep his feet on the ground but he goes to school and he plays it down.

“He sang at school for the first time the other day and it was the most nervous he’s been.

“He doesn’t like to revel in it there.”

Mrs Cantwell admitted she “can’t sing for toffee” and it was more likely that Harvey’s granddad was the source of his musical talent, as he had a good voice.

Harvey’s whole family was behind him, she said, with his two brothers Elliott, then 13, and Oliver, then 18, backing their very own singing sensation every step of the way.

Their mum said: “They’re more into their sport and are heavily into football but they love his music and play it a lot. They support him all the time, which is lovely.”

Also looking back through our archive, we found these photos of a nine-year-old Harvey at tennis camp at Hartley Country Club, Hartley.

And then there's this one, taken in 2004 when Fawkham Primary School featured as our School of the Week.

Harvey was pictured with other pupils when our School of the Week feature went to Fawkham Primary School
Harvey was pictured with other pupils when our School of the Week feature went to Fawkham Primary School

Fast forward to November 2019, Hrvy's fame was growing and the corridors of Bluewater were stormed by mostly teenage girls when he held an impromptu meet and greet. He had planned to go to the shopping centre for an event hosted by JD Sports, but it was cancelled.

Keen not to let fans down, he decided on an unscheduled autograph session instead but the size of crowds forced it to be called off.

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