Singer Sam Kelly had a better excuse than most for missing his exam – being in the final of a national talent show.

The 19-year-old appeared in the live final of Britain’s Got Talent (BGT) on Saturday night, which was won by performing dog Pudsey.

Sam was scheduled to take exams at Brighton Institute of Modern Music (BIMM) on Monday, where he is doing a two-year foundation course.

BIMM could not move the exams and Sam was unable to attend, meaning he will have to resit them in August.

He said: “It is kind of strange as I have not been back yet but everyone I am used to getting advice from and the teachers at BIMM will all know who I am and I’m a BIMM celebrity.

“They have been so supportive and I am lucky to have them. In the early days of the show they were helping me out and it was great to have people I could get advice from.”

Sam still has assignments to finish for the course, which finishes next month, but is looking forward to the future, which he hopes includes more live shows.

He said: “It does not look like there will be an official BGT tour which I think would have gone down really well but we are all supporting each other and trying to some joint gigs.

“But from a personal perspective I am going to keep on gigging with my band in Brighton and London.”

The talented singer said appearing on the show had opened up a lot of possibilities for him.

He added: “I have had a lot of things I would not have had before, like bookings for presentation and stuff like that.

“It is nice to have a bit more exposure, which is what you need.”

But he said the show, which had nearly 12 million viewers for the final, was not just about getting his face known.

Sam said: “One of the main reasons I auditioned was I wanted to learn more about music and improve as a musician.”

He hopes his experience on the show means he can one day make a living from his music.