American Idol’s Simon Cowell also judges on a number of other shows including the X Factor which is the biggest television talent competition in Europe. During one of these auditions, 46 year old singer Jacqui Gray’s voice sounded exceptionally peculiar. Simon told her “Something weird happens in your throat when you sing.” Now this sounds like one of Simon’s usually caustic remarks however this time Simon and fellow judge Sharon Osbourne thought Jacqui’s voice sounded so unusual that they encouraged her to seek medical attention. After the audition Gray went to see her doctor who forwarded her to a specialist. As it turns out, Gray had a potentially fatal lung condition which if undiagnosed could have killed her. Her condition is now being treated with with drugs and physiotherapy. Gray was quoted as saying “I was told that if I had not caught it in time it could have killed me, which is frightening… I am just so glad that Simon said something, and that made me do something about it.”

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