Lee Ridley ( comedian ) - wikipedia Lee Ridley ( comedian ) Lee Ridley Pseudonym Lost Voice Guy ( 1980 - 12 - 31 ) 31 December 1980 ( age 37 ) Consett, County Durham, England Medium Stand - up, television Nationality English Years active 2012 -- present Genres Improvisational comedy, observational comedy Notable works and roles Britain 's Got Talent ( 2018 ) Website Official website Lee Ridley ( born 31 December 1980 ) is an English stand - up comedian. Disabled since early life, and unable to speak, he is the first standup comedian in Britain to use a communication aid in his routines, performing them under the stage name of Lost Voice Guy. He rose to prominence in June 2018 after winning the 12th series of Britain 's Got Talent. Contents 1 Biography 1.1 Early Life 1.2 Career 2 References 3 External links Biography Early life Ridley was originally from Consett, County Durham. At the age of six months he was diagnosed with a neurological form of cerebral palsy, brought about by a brain infection that left him in a coma for two months, which affected his movement and rendered him unable to speak. His disability in early life made it difficult to communicate with people, until the age of eight when he received his first communication device, while his education at a school for disabled children was aided by supportive teachers. Between 1999 -- 2002, he studied journalism and online journalism at the University of Central Lancashire, achieving an undergraduate degree in the former, and a Masters Degree in the latter. In 2006, he worked as a journalist with the BBC and local newspapers, before taking on the role of online content manager for the city of Sunderland in 2007. Career Ridley began performing comedy in 2012, having grown up with a love for it, including standup performances. His decision to perform standup himself came in the aftermath of a gig conducted by Ross Noble, in which Ridley encountered the comedian and challenged him on the quality of Noble 's impersonation of Stephen Hawking, claiming he could do a far better impersonation of the renowned physicist. To formulate his routines, Ridley purchased an iPad voice synthesizer app called Speak It !, which he pre-programmed with sentences based on material he created. Following his first show, Ridley adapted his routine by selecting material that had received favourable audience reaction, and adopting a style of improvisation in which he occasionally created new material onstage through his synthesizer in real - time. His first successful show was at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival in 2013, although he was forced to cut this short after he developed pneumonia. In 2014, Ridley won the BBC Radio New Comedy Awards, and by 2015, he began to pursue a professional comedy career, performing a new show entitled Disability for Dunces, as part of the Edinburgh Fringe that year. The following year, he performed a sequel of the show, entitled `` Volume 2 '', and in 2017, launched a new show entitled Inspiration Porn, which made fun of `` inspirational '' videos and memes about disability. After winning the award, he was contacted by The Sequal Trust, who asked him to come on board as a patron of their communication disability charity, a title he still holds today. In 2018, Ridley took a starring role on Radio 4 sitcom Ability, which he co-wrote with Sony - nominated writer and comedian Katherine Jakeways. His role involved him playing as the disabled ' Matt ', who moves out from his parents ' home to share with his best friend from school, who refreshingly treats him as an equal but is not the influence Matt 's concerned parents are looking for. In June 2018, Ridley won the 12th series of Britain 's Got Talent after successfully making it through the audition stages, and winning the show by the public vote. References Jump up ^ Lee Ridley Bio 29 April 2018 ^ Jump up to : Autograph -- Lee Ridley, in Living North ; retrieved 4 July 2015 ^ Jump up to : Lost Voice Guy : Heard the one about the stand - up comedian who ca n't speak ?, by Alice Jones, in the Independent ; published 11 December 2014 ; retrieved 4 July 2015 ^ Jump up to : Natasha Sporn ( 4 June 2018 ). `` Britain 's Got Talent winner : Lost Voice Guy crowned 2018 champion ''. Standard.co.uk. Retrieved 4 June 2018. ^ Jump up to : Amy Brookbanks ( 6 June 2018 ). `` Britain 's Got Talent winner Lost Voice Guy reveals ' I did n't have any friends as a child and my iPad saved me ' ''. TheSun.co.uk. Retrieved 6 June 2018. ^ Jump up to : Lee Ridley : making comedy out of silence, by Gary Evans, in the Guardian ; published 6 June 2012 ; retrieved 4 July 2015 Jump up ^ `` Former Preston student Lee Ridley through to the next round of Britain 's Got Talent ''. Retrieved 23 April 2018. Jump up ^ CM Admin ( 20 November 2012 ), `` Finding My Voice '' -- Lee Ridley, retrieved 23 April 2018 Jump up ^ Lee Ridley : ' Disabled people are either inspirational, or benefit cheats ', by Mary O'Hara, at the Guardian ; published 15 April 2015 ; retrieved 4 July 2015 Jump up ^ The stand - up comic who can not speak, by Colin Paterson ; at the BBC ; published 13 April 2012 ; retrieved 4 July 2015 ; `` two months ago he did his first show '' ^ Jump up to : Lee Ridley : Stand - up success for ' Lost Voice Guy ' comic, by Phil Mawson, at the BBC ; published 9 August 2012 ; retrieved 4 July 2015 Jump up ^ `` BBC -- The Ouch ! Blog : Lee Ridley aka Lost Voice Guy : the communication revolution ( technology and disabled people series ) ''. Retrieved 23 April 2018. Jump up ^ Voiceless comedian in hospital after contracting pneumonia during Edinburgh Fringe performances, by Jane O'Neill, in the Sunderland Echo ; published 27 August 2013 ; retrieved 4 July 2015 Jump up ^ Lost Voice Guy wins BBC New Comedy Award 2014, at British Comedy Guide ; published 17 December 2014 Jump up ^ BBC launches its 2015 New Comedy Award, by Andrew Dipper ; at GiggleBeats ; published 17 June 2015 ; retrieved 5 July 2015 ^ Jump up to : Peacock, Robert ( 21 April 2018 ). `` Interview : Lost Voice Guy ''. The Wee Review. Retrieved 4 June 2018. Jump up ^ Hodgson, Barbara ( 6 January 2017 ). `` Lost Voice Guy Lee Ridley stars in new BBC Radio 4 sitcom ''. nechronicle. Retrieved 23 April 2018. Jump up ^ British Comedy Guide : Ability Jump up ^ Hegarty, Tasha ( 21 April 2018 ). `` Britain 's Got Talent 's The Lost Voice Guy has everyone in stitches ''. Digital Spy. Retrieved 21 April 2018. Jump up ^ `` Revealed : Just how clear was Lost Voice Guy 's victory ''. www.chortle.co.uk. Chortle. 4 June 2018. Retrieved 4 June 2018. External links Official site Britain 's Got Talent Episodes Series 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 Winners Paul Potts George Sampson Diversity Spelbound Jai McDowall Ashleigh and Pudsey Attraction Collabro Jules O'Dwyer & Matisse Richard Jones Tokio Myers Lost Voice Guy Other notable contestants Series 1 Damon Scott Bessie Cursons Connie Talbot Bar Wizards Jake Pratt Series 2 Signature Andrew Johnston Escala Faryl Smith Kate and Gin Charlie Green Charlie Wernham Series 3 Susan Boyle Julian Smith Stavros Flatley Aidan Davis Hollie Steel Shaheen Jafargholi DJ Talent Flawless John Farnworth Sue Son Megan McKenna Elliot Evans Series 4 Twist and Pulse Paul Burling ReConnected Myles and Connor Kev Orkian Stevie Starr Cheeky Girls and Darius Matthew Ahmet Series 5 Ronan Parke Out of the Blue Series 6 Jonathan and Charlotte Only Boys Aloud Loveable Rogues Ryan O'Shaughnessy The Mend The Zimmers Colin Cloud Series 7 Jack Carroll Richard & Adam Steve Hewlett Luminites Gabz Francine Lewis Asanda James More Aaron Crow MckNasty Freelusion AJ & Chloe Series 8 Bars and Melody Jon Clegg Paddy & Nico Ed Drewett Light Balance Series 9 Côr Glanaethwy Old Men Grooving Isaac Waddington Calum Scott Lorraine Bowen Ruby Red Performers Alison Jiear Series 10 Alex Magala Beau Dermott Rachael Wooding Series 11 Daliso Chaponda Destiny Chukunyere Jess Robinson Series 12 Ray Kelly Ben Pridmore B Positive Choir Retrieved from `` https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Lee_Ridley_(comedian)&oldid=864060620 '' Categories : Living people British stand - up comedians Alumni of the University of Central Lancashire People with cerebral palsy People with epilepsy Mute people People from County Durham People from Newcastle upon Tyne Britain 's Got Talent contestants Got Talent winners Hidden categories : Use dmy dates from June 2018 Talk Contents About Wikipedia Add links This page was last edited on 14 October 2018, at 21 : 03 ( UTC ). 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Question: how did the lost voice guy lose his voice
Answer: neurological form of cerebral palsy