Beautiful moment blind and autistic pianist performs on This Morning

Blind and autistic music prodigy Lucy Illingworth captivated the nation at just 13 years old when she performed Debussy's Arabesque on Channel 4's The Piano last year.

After a whirlwind year in the spotlight Lucy, from Brighouse, West Yorkshire, joined Alison Hammond and Dermot O'Leary on the This Morning sofa to promote her first album.

Lucy, who is neurodivergent, stunned the ITV hosts with an incredible performance of her debut single I am Walking With You live on the show.

British composer Debbie Wiseman, who composed the single especially for Lucy, said: 'Lucy learnt it and interpreted it so beautifully...it is magical hearing her play it.'

After Lucy's beautiful performance host Alison said she was feeling 'really emotional'.

BAFTA nominated Lucy’s debut album is out November 8, after a successful tour of the UK playing sell-out shows. 

Before her live performance on ITV today, the teen called out for her beloved piano teacher of 10 years Daniel Bath during the interview.

As Lucy, who was joined by her mother Candice and composer Debbie Wiseman, was welcomed onto the show she shouted 'Daniel'. 

To which her mother replied: 'No Daniel is not here darling', and host Alison added: 'It's Alison and Dermot here and we are very excited to meet you.' 

The pair appeared in a Channel 4 documentary earlier this year, which explored Lucy's decade-long friendship with her teacher, Daniel, who describes them as 'musical soulmates'.

The close relationship between the pair was explored and her fondness for Daniel was clear as she jubilantly exclaimed his name when she heard his voice at the beginning of a lesson.

Lucy was diagnosed with bilateral retinoblastoma, an eye cancer, when she was nine months old, and has a chromosome 16 duplication, a rare condition affecting mental health with autism traits and overall communication. 

However Lucy has had a talent for music from a very young age and uses her musical talent to express herself. 

'When she was really young, you surround your children with musical toys, but she wasn't just pressing the noise to get the sound out, she was making rhythm.

'I knew at that point that there was something there and then we moved onto a little keyboard and then she started to play Silent Night and Twinkle Twinkle Little star and it was pitch perfect.'

Candice revealed that when she was pregnant with Lucy she used to play music to her in her tummy. 

She added: 'I believe that Lucy has little musical notes running through her blood and I think that her and music are soul mates.

'She communicates to the world through music, if I want her to do anything it's music that I use always. 

'When she goes on summer holidays we have Schools Out For Summer, we play that on Alexa and she knows that it is six weeks holiday.' 

Lucy shot to fame last year when she wowed a crowd at Birmingham New Street train station with her incredible talent on The Piano, and caused judges Lang Lang and Mika to tear up.

Since then she has become an online sensation as people are astonished by her ability to play despite being visually impaired.

Lucy's mother Candice previously explained her daughter lost her eyesight as a toddler after being born with cancerous tumours in her eyes.

Her phenomenal talent became apparent when she was three years old, and she was gifted a keyboard while she had treatment in hospital.

At the beginning of the documentary The Incredibly Talented Lucy, Daniel spoke about 'the most gifted musician' he has ever met and his pupil of more than a decade.

He said: 'She was the best thing that ever happened to me.'

Meanwhile, Lucy sat with her school teacher, who was feeding her, and spoke about her upcoming piano lesson at 1.40pm with Daniel.

The pair then sat down as Lucy played the piano while Daniel played the guitar, and Lucy ordered her teacher to sing.

Filmed after the teenager's phenomenal success on The Piano which made her famous, Lucy appeared to take her new found notoriety in her stride.

'I don't think she's really fussed, the cameras are just there,' her schoolteacher tells the programme.

As she sat down for her lesson with Daniel, her school teacher said the pair are 'in tune with each other'.

Although the teenager was unfazed by her fame, her classmates were certainly starstruck.

Lucy was filmed going back to school after the series finale of The Piano, in which she played at the Royal Festival Hall and ultimately won the competition.

As she walked into class, one of her peers was heard saying: 'Please welcome to the stage... Lucy!'

Another of her classmates stood up and applauded her as she walked into class. She told her friend: 'Congratulations! Well done! I'm happy! I'm so proud!' Lucy replied: 'Thank you so much. So much.'

And Lucy herself was a pretty big fan of her own work, as she clapped while she watched her RFH performance on TV.