The untold truth of Courtney Hadwin

Hadwin is a resident of Hesleden, a former mining village nestled away in northeast England. Though the area’s pit villages were once thriving communities, times got hard when conservative prime minister Margaret Thatcher decided to shut down the coal mines in the 1980s. According to Hadwin’s mother, Ann-Marie, there isn’t much at home for her daughter. “Hesleden is small with a school, a shop, a pub, a park and a working men’s club,” she told The Sun. “It used to be a real mining community. But there isn’t really much in the village. You have to travel out to do things.”

For Hadwin’s dad, Paul, watching his daughter outgrow Hesleden has been painful, though he’s adamant he’ll never stand in her way as she goes after her goals. “We’re just a normal family and, to be honest, I’d prefer her to stay in the village with us,” he admitted. “But I just want her to be happy.”

If everything goes to plan, then Hadwin’s parents might end up leaving, too. “I’d love to live in America,” the singer said. “I’d miss home but if I went to the U.S. I’d bring my family with me anyway. I couldn’t survive without them.”

Hadwin also revealed that one of the first things she’d do with the America’s Got Talent prize money is find the family a place with a swimming pool. “There’s not enough room for one in our back yard,” she said.