A YOUNG carer from Camelford has developed a friendship with her inspiration, former JLS singer Oritsé Williams, after sharing their young carers stories together.

Livvy Ferguson, 14, met her idol Oritsé, who was formerly in the hit British boy band JLS, approximately two months ago and has since developed a blossoming friendship with the singer, who is currently launching his solo career since JLS’ split.

When Livvy first spoke to Oritsé on the phone, she said: “All I did was cry, and I really regret that.”

Livvy, who has collected all of Oritsé’s memorabilia, has been a fan of his since she was eight-years-old, so being able to speak to Oritsé regularly is a dream come true.

She said: “I was so overwhelmed when I met him, and he’s my best friend — we always speak on Twitter.”

Livvy and Oritsé share something in common; the fact that their mothers live with Multiple Sclerosis (MS), a condition that affects the central nervous system.

Oritsé has been a young carer since he was 12 years old, and Livvy is currently supporting her mum, Kirsty.

To Livvy’s delight, Oritsé released a competition on social media, offering his fans the chance to star in his latest music video. Livvy, hoping for the best but not thinking she’d win, entered with her mum.

Unfortunately, Kirsty didn’t win, but on Thursday, August 4, Livvy received an email at around 8pm informing her she had won the competition. She said: “Then, of course, I couldn’t sleep.”

Livvy had the painful task of keeping this exciting information to herself, with the shoot being strictly confidential, although, as expected, she wanted to shout it from the rooftops.

However, Livvy was taken to the set of Oritsé’s new music video and was in her element. She added: “He’s my inspiration. It’s so great to be able to talk to Oritsé about our mums and their MS; I feel very at ease with him when I talk about it.”

Livvy is due to meet with her friend Oritsé again in approximately six weeks, when they’ll participate in an MS walk together in Battersea, London, which she is very excited about.