From Heart Surgery to Britain's Got Talent Victory
A farmer who underwent a major heart operation before winning Britain's Got Talent has encouraged fellow farmers to prioritize their health and seek medical advice promptly.
Hugh Thomas, 75, was a member of the Hawkstone Farmers' Choir, assembled by Jeremy Clarkson, which won the television competition in May. This followed a surprising diagnosis of cardiovascular disease and a triple bypass surgery.
Hugh manages a sunflower farm in Pembrokeshire alongside his wife Rachel and expressed a desire to motivate farmers to consult doctors when necessary, rather than delaying as he had previously.
Cardiovascular disease encompasses conditions that constrict or obstruct blood vessels, potentially causing heart attacks, angina, and strokes, according to the British Heart Foundation (BHF).
"When it comes to health, farmers generally hold back and say: 'Oh, it's nothing, it'll go in a day or so'. They tend to leave it, I admit I have,"said Hugh, who has operated the farm with Rachel since 1981.
"'Oh, it'll be fine in the morning, put a plaster on it'. There's a lot of that in this industry.
People are not keen to go to the doctors, and they leave it, and sometimes they leave it until it's too late."
Rachel added,
"Most of the farmers that I know would put off going to the doctor unless their arm was hanging off."
Diagnosis and Surgery
In February 2022, at age 71, Hugh felt generally well but began experiencing shortness of breath during physical exertion.
"I had a bit of an issue with Covid, it did me quite badly, and we all thought that it was down to that,"he explained.
Initially advised to monitor his symptoms, Hugh was persuaded by Rachel to return to the doctor for further evaluation.
An angiogram revealed abnormalities in his arteries, leading to a diagnosis of cardiovascular disease and the recommendation for triple bypass surgery, a procedure to improve heart blood flow.
According to the BHF, cardiovascular disease causes a death every three minutes in the UK.
"I really didn't expect that because I had no pain, just a little bit short of breath if I was doing heavy exercise,"Hugh said, describing the diagnosis as
"quite a shock".
He was transferred to Morriston Hospital in Swansea for the surgery and spent six days in intensive care afterward.
Hugh has since recovered steadily and now requires only annual check-ups to monitor his heart health.
Joining the Hawkstone Farmers' Choir
In April 2025, Hugh responded to a call for singing farmers, which was issued by Jeremy Clarkson, presenter of Clarkson's Farm.
After auditioning, Hugh was selected as one of 34 farmers chosen from over 500 applicants to form The Hawkstone Farmers' Choir.
The choir impressed during their initial audition in October 2025, earning the prestigious Golden Buzzer. Hugh described the experience as
"been a bit of a whirlwind since then".
The group progressed through the competition, reaching the live final on 30 May, where they were declared winners. Clarkson was visibly emotional and applauded as they performed their original song.
The judges praised the choir highly, with Simon Cowell calling their performance
"absolutely stunning", "heartfelt" and "joyous".
"We had this amazing experience that weekend, obviously, and the choir has bonded really well,"Hugh said.
"We don't really know what's in the pipeline, but I think there's a lot of exciting things going to happen now."
