When 27-year-old plasterer Sam Black took the X Factor stage, he came with a dream, a big heart, and a song he loved—Del Shannon’s “Runaway.”
But after a shaky start and an honest critique from Simon Cowell, the judges gave him a tough verdict: no.
And then? Sam did something no one saw coming.
From Rejection to Romance in Front of a Live Audience
After thanking the judges, Sam turned to the crowd and said he had one more thing to do. With his girlfriend and mother of their baby boy watching from the front row, Sam asked her to join him on stage.
“I’m never gonna get this chance again…”
Then he turned to her and asked, “Will you marry me?”
The crowd exploded. She said yes.
Cheers, tears, and standing ovations followed—not for the performance, but for a moment far more powerful than any song.