AGT judges moved to tears after "brave" act
<p>An emotionally charged backstory to a card trick has left the judges of <em>Australia's Got Talent </em>in tears. </p>
<p>On Monday night's episode of the variety talent show, contestant Michael Webb shared a story about a man named Jack who decided to seek help for his mental health issues. </p>
<p>However, the story of “Jack” was Michael’s own story, and it moved the judges immensely.</p>
<p>While the story alone brought tears to the eyes, it was the “perfect” card trick supporting the story that stunned the audience and judges.</p>
<p>“I have a deck of cards to help me tell the story,” said Michael, who was standing in front of the judges’ desk.</p>
<p>He asked Alesha Dixon to shuffle the cards well, before instructing Shane Jacobson to choose any card, sign his name on it and show the other judges and audience the card.</p>
<p>Michael took that signed card - without seeing which one it was - and shuffled it into the deck.</p>
<p>“I came here to tell you all a story that means a lot to me. And I hope you like it,” Michael began, holding onto the deck of cards.</p>
<p>“It’s actually a story about a guy I know named Jack,” he said, as he drew a Jack card from the deck, stunning the audience.</p>
<p>“And if you met Jack, you’d probably think he’s the luckiest guy in the world."</p>
<p>“He’s got a loving family and plenty of mates. And they think he’s kind of funny, they always think of him as a bit of a joker,” he said pulling out a Joker card.</p>
<p>“When he’s out on the town with his mates, they really get around him. They call him the king,” he said, drawing a King card.</p>
<p>“Which is kind of ironic,” he continued, as he pulled out a Queen card, “because whenever the night ends up at the karaoke bar, he’s always the one always singing Queen.”</p>
<p>The story continued and Michael kept drawing cards that perfectly linked to his story such as “full house” and “flush” and relevant numbers.</p>
<p>“But even on the most joyous of occasions, like Christmas, or even his birthday, he would often look around at the full house of family and friends having such a good time."</p>
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<p>“And he’d stop and think, what’s wrong with me? Like, why can’t I have fun?"</p>
<p>“The more he thought about this, the worse he felt, and the worst he felt the more guilty he felt."</p>
<p>“And all of a sudden, he’d have shame and become flushed with emotion. So what would Jack do? He’d find a nice quiet room in the house and cry."</p>
<p>“You see, Jack was a 28-year-old man and, in his mind, 28-year-old males - they need to be strong, and they don’t talk about their feelings.”</p>
<p>Michael said that it was not until “Jack” learned that one in 10 Australians actually sought professional help that he realised he wasn’t alone, and told his friends about his struggles.</p>
<p>“(Jack’s friends) thought it showed true heart to talk about his feelings,” Michael said.</p>
<p>“So he started to do some research and he was shocked to learn that, in the most recent year, 3318 Australians took their own lives.</p>
<p>“That’s 63 people every single week, and, for every person that did, another 20 attempted to.</p>
<p>“In Australia, suicide is the leading cause of death for people aged between 15 to 44 - and he didn’t want to become another statistic.”</p>
<p>Michael added that "Jack" was inspired by hearing other people's stories, including those from “Australian royalty” such as Miranda Kerr, Julia Gillard and Buddy Franklin.</p>
<p>“Hearing these people share their own personal stories about their struggles helped Jack recognise his fears and made him realise he’s not alone,” Michael said.</p>
<p>“So do you know what Jack decided to do?"</p>
<p>“Jack decided to share his story on <em>Australia’s Got Talent</em>, and by sharing this story today, I hope I can make just at least one person get their head straight,” Michael said, holding back tears.</p>
<p>Trying to control his emotions, Shane whispered to him, “You’re doing great, mate.”</p>
<p>Michael continued, “I want all Australians genuinely who are struggling with their mental health to remember that without the rain there can be no rainbow.</p>
<p>”So I want all Australians to shine bright like a diamond,” he said, pulling on Shane’s signed ace of diamonds card - stunning the room.</p>
<p>Shane told Michael that the issue of mental health awareness is very close to his heart, and he praised him for sharing his "incredibly personal" story on such a public stage. </p>
<p>“You, my friend, are incredibly brave, know that,” he said.</p>
<p>“Thank you so much for sharing your story and making people aware that they are not alone,” Kate Ritchie told the talent.</p>
<p>David Walliams said he has never heard the audience so quiet during an act, before saying, “You are magic because you’ll have changed people’s lives.”</p>
<p>Michael went on to get four yes votes from the judges, moving on to the next round.</p>
<p><strong><em>If you or someone you know needs mental health advice, or help in a crisis, call Lifeline on 13 11 14. </em></strong></p>
<p><em>Image credits: Australia's Got Talent</em></p>
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