MEMBERS of a tap dancing troupe reckon they have what it takes to win Britain’s Got Talent after they made it to the live semi-finals.

TapTastik, from Brighton, sailed through to the live shows over the weekend after wooing judges David Walliams and Amanda Holden.

They will now perform for the judges this week to win a chance to compete in the final.

The amateurs were put forward to audition for the ITV programme by their teacher, Drew Wood.

Drew said: “Back in November I asked them if they fancied auditioning for the competition.

“My question was met with some apprehension. They pretty much all thought I was joking.”

Drew has been running the tap-dancing troupe for 13 years. His team range in age from 21 to 63.

Speaking about the semi-finals, he said: “They are very secretive until you get to Manchester where they hold the live shows. We don’t even know which day we’ll be performing, so it is all very nerve-wracking.

“I am just so proud of everyone. It is such a fantastic achievement just to come this far.”

One of Drew’s students is Christine Giles.

Christine, 57, owns a bridal shop in Brighton and is one of the original members of TapTastik.

She said: “I have been dancing since I was three-years-old and have always loved it.

“This experience has been amazing throughout. The whole group has done so well and we have really bonded. We all feel we can win it now.”

Catherine Thomson is another of the dancers.

She said: “Getting this far is more than we ever imagined, and the spirits are so high now.”

Catherine, 48, has also been with the group for the 13 years of its existence and is feeling the team spirit. She said: “I had a bad back for two years which stopped me being able to dance. When I came back, it was like I’d never been away. It was such a nice feeling to slot back in like that.”

Another dancer in the group is Irene Jackman. Irene, 57, said: “We feel we can definitely go all the way now, but we mainly did this to show that people of all ages and shapes can do something fun together.”

The live semi-finals start tonight at 7.30pm and continue all week.