A former soldier has admitted killing a nurse who performed on Britain’s Got Talent in an NHS choir.

Desmond Sylva, 40, was accused of stabbing his partner, 31-year-old Simonne Kerr, at her home in Battersea, south-west London.

Sylva, who lived with Kerr, pleaded guilty to her manslaughter during a hearing at the Old Bailey. But the defendant denied her murder on 15 August last year on the grounds of diminished responsibility.

Members of Kerr’s family sat in court as Sylvia entered his pleas. He faces a murder trial at the Old Bailey from 3 June, expected to last up to two weeks.

Judge Richard Marks QC remanded Sylva in custody.

Kerr was a haematology and oncology nurse at Guy’s hospital in central London. She appeared on the ITV talent show with the B Positive Choir, singing Rise Up, to encourage blood donations.