During the last season of “Britain’s Got Talent,” one of the most popular acts was a group of dancers called the MerseyGirls. The group stole everyone’s hearts not only with their talent, but also with their heartbreaking reason for being on the show.

The MerseyGirls impressed the judges so much in their audition that they were given the Golden Buzzer, which sent them straight through to the finals. The money that would come with winning the competition was especially important to one of the group’s members, 15 year-old Julia Carlile.

Julia was just 6 years-old when she was diagnosed with scoliosis, which means she had a curved spine. Not only was this condition painful, it also threatened to end her dancing career before it could really begin.

In order to keep dancing, Julia needed enough money to fly to the United States and pay for surgery. The MerseyGirls desperately wanted to win the $300,000 prize that would come with winning the show so that they could fund Julia’s operation.

When it came time to perform at the finals, Julia gave the performance everything she had, back-flipping and cartwheeling across the stage. Afterwards, with tears in her eyes, she told the judges that, “this could be my last performance with the girls before my surgery, which is a really scary thought.”

The MerseyGirls were heartbroken when they came in 9th place, but after the show ended, judge Simon Cowell went backstage to speak with them. He then surprised them by saying that he would pay for Julia’s surgery personally so that she could resume her dance career!

This came as a surprise to fans, as Simon has a reputation for being heartless. However, he said that he did not think twice about helping this young girl.

“There’s no way I would ever have her [Julia] on this show and say, it’s all just about winning the £250,000,” Simon said. “I couldn’t do that. You would do the same thing.”

Simon went on to say that he “couldn’t look at myself in the mirror” if he did nothing.

“There’s no way I would ever say: ‘Right, you came second, so it’s all over’, he continued.

Julia has since gotten the surgery that she needed, and she’s now back on her feet ready to dance again!

“There are no words to thank him for how grateful we are,” she said of Simon’s generosity. “It’s just unbelievable. It does not feel real.”

Though it’s not known exactly how much the surgery cost, experts estimate that Simon spent around $200,000 to help Julia. God bless Simon Cowell for going above and beyond to help this young girl in need!