Jessie J superfan with rare condition meets star
- Published
Singer Jessie J surprised a superfan, who lives with a rare learning disability, when she gave him a hug while back stage at a music festival.
Nathan, 22, from Cowes, was working at the Isle of Wight Festival on Saturday when he met his idol.
His father Clive said his son, who lives with Alfi's syndrome or 9p deletion syndrome - a rare genetic anomaly in which a portion of chromosome nine is missing, was still "blown away" and "so proud" to have walked around the festival "like royalty".
Sienna Anderson, a photographer from Freshwater, orchestrated and captured the meeting.
She said: "His passion for Jessie J was immense.
"He said he had seen her earlier in the day and was in tears.
"It was manic and there was [sic] a lot of people around but I pointed Jessie to Nathan and she gave him 10 minutes of her time... she gave him the biggest and most beautiful hug."
She added that after four years of photographing the festival this was "easily one of the highlights".
Clive said of his son: "He's a real big fan of hers - ever since he watched her on The Voice.
"He taught her some Romanian words because his mother lives over there and he found out that Jessie is touring there soon."
In a video of the interaction, shared on social media, Nathan can be heard offering Jessie J the chance to stay at his mother's accommodation when she tours Romania.
Jessie smiled and said: "I can come and cook, I love to cook."
Alfi's syndrome can cause developmental delay, irregular facial features, structural irregularities within the heart and genital defects.
"Not many people in the world have his condition," Clive said.
"He's such a wonderful person and I think the world needs more Nathans - that would make it a beautiful place to be."
Follow BBC South on Facebook, external, X (Twitter), external, or Instagram, external. Send your story ideas to south.newsonline@bbc.co.uk, external or via WhatsApp on 0808 100 2240, external.
Related topics
More on Jessie J
- Published24 June 2019
- Published17 April 2018