Simon Cowell has been revealing some behind-the-scenes secrets from Britain’s Got Talent, explaining that Amanda Holden was actually Cheryl’s replacement on the judging panel, and that now, she’s here to stay.


Copyright [Tom Dymond/ITV]

Chatting to the Radio Times, Simon revealed that Cheryl originally signed up to sit on the BGT panel when the show started in 2007, but after she pulled out at the last-minute, Amanda was drafted in as her replacement - and the rest, as they say, is history.


He explained: “Cheryl [Fernandez-Versini] was supposed to be in Amanda’s place, but with days to go she backed out. We called ITV and they suggested two people — one was Amanda and the other was a girl on Corrie. Now I couldn’t imagine doing the show without Amanda.

“She enjoys every minute of it, never gets fed up, is easy to work with and is the voice of the public.”

A married couple from Belfast wowed David Walliams to become the third Golden Buzzer act on Britain’s Got Talent.

Ian Marshall, 64, and his wife Anne, 61, put their own spin on Crazy In Love by Beyonce.

The duo enthralled David and fellow judges Simon Cowell, Alesha Dixon and Amanda Holden with their unconventional performance.

After David hit the Golden Buzzer, which gives the couple an automatic place in the live shows, he headed to the stage.


“I think you really are the spirit of Britain’s Got Talent, the pair of you,” he told them.

“You spend your whole lives doing something else, you’ve got this beautiful relationship and you did a Beyonce song for no apparent reason.”

Simon said: “I just knew David was going to do that, but actually, for once, I get it.”

The couple, who met while serving in the army and have now been married for 44 years, said the Beyonce hit sums up how they feel about each other.


“We’ve come to Britain’s Got Talent to win it, obviously,” the 64-year-old said before their audition.

The stakes are high as the 2016 winner will receive a cash prize of £250,000 and a slot on the Royal Variety Performance.

Earlier in the ITV show, Presentation School Choir’s choral director Veronica McCarron appeared to catch Simon’s eye.

Celebrity Big Brother contestant and reality TV star Tiffany Pollard has pulled a t-shirt reading “David is dead” from her website following the death of her former housemate David Gest.


Tiffany made headlines earlier this year when she mistakenly thought that David had died during his stint in the Big Brother house after fellow housemate Angie Bowie told her that “David is dead”.

Angie of course was referring to her late husband David Bowie, while Tiffany thought that her friend and CBB contestant had passed away.

Much confusion followed as other housemates struggled to understand what had happened, as David Gest slept under a duvet in the communal bedroom.

A clip of the confusing exchange has been viewed over a million times on YouTube.

Brunettes have more fun – with Simon Cowell.

The X Factor boss once turned down Amanda Holden on a date and told her: “I don’t fancy blondes.”

Amanda, 45, told how their night out was such a flop she ordered a taxi at 10.30pm to take her home.


Simon and Amanda didn’t get on when they went out.

The TV presenter said: “A very long time ago, when we were both single, we went on a date but I pre-ordered a cab to come and get me at 10.30pm, which made him laugh. He never forgets that.”

Amanda has been a judge on Britain’s Got Talent since Cowell, 56, launched the show in 2007.


She admitted to being as “surprised” as anyone else that she has survived his famous judging panel culls.

Amanda with husband Chris Hughes.

But the mum-of-two denied Cowell has kept her on because she is sexy.

She told the Daily Mail: “Simon always tells people that he hired me because he fancied me, but that’s absolute nonsense – he doesn’t go for blondes.


“It’s more a surprise to me than anyone else that after 10 years I’m still here.

“I went into it thinking it would be one show and that would be it, but I never expected to love it as much as I do.”

Amanda Holden has proven that she has got TALENT that reaches beyond being an actress, singer and presenter!

On Wednesday, the 45-year-old posted a playful video of herself tap dancing in nothing more than a towel and a pair of heels (check it out above).


Instagram [noholdenback]

It’s safe to say that her 148,000 followers would have pressed their golden buzzers had she been auditioning for Britain’s Got Talent.

Aside from the dancing, another talent on display is her multi-tasking, as she brushes her teeth while not missing a step on the tiled bathroom floor.


What’s more, the BGT judge is tapping her feet to Jessie J’s hit single, Bang Bang and truly making it her own!

Instagram [noholdenback]

Holden is clearly squeezing in rehearsals for her upcoming role in the dance-focused play, Stepping Out, whenever she can.

In which case, we’ve imagined a whole host of other circumstances that the actress should be practising her routines to, including tap dancing while applying make-up, tap dancing while hoovering and (our favourite) tap dancing while frying some eggs.

The star managed to pause to write a caption alongside her video, which plugged the theatre show and encouraged her fans to buy tickets.

Alesha Dixon has admitted she worries about how much screen time to give her young daughter.

The Britain’s Got Talent judge said two-year-old Azura can already use an iPad, adding that the matter is often the subject of debate at home.

The mother-of-one told the Sunday Express S magazine she tries to find a balance, and credited the tablet device with helping her daughter to learn.

She said: “You want to make sure that you give them a bit of television time, but make sure they’re not addicted to it.”

She added: “We have these debates in my house all the time. On the one hand, you think ‘Is she too young for an iPad?’ and on the other hand, when she’s learning all her different vegetables, or the alphabet, or numbers or colours, she’s so smart.

“She now knows all her numbers and I do think the visual of the iPad has helped. We obviously sit and teach her as well, but the two things combined together have been really good.”

Amanda Holden found herself on the other side of the Britain’s Got Talent judging panel this weekend - and proved a spectacular flop.

Copyright [Wenn]

The Britain’s Got Talent judge was given the cold-shoulder by an unimpressed crowd while attempting to sing Disney classic Let It Go from hit film Frozen.

The 44-year-old threw down her microphone in response to the frosty reception and strutted off stage to a chorus of heckles.

Amanda took to the stage for the impromptu performance after Ant McPartlin joked to the Birmingham Hippodrome audience that she was leaving the show after this series.


Producers then began playing The Spice Girls ‘Goodbye’.

The TV star ran on stage to deny the claims, telling the crowd the news was “utter b**s”. She said: “I’m not leaving. I was thinking that I”m going to have a fantastic song to walk down to.

Simon Cowell has come up with a new excuse for why he was late to work at the Britain’s Got Talent 2016 auditions in London.

Reports claim he left the audience waiting for an hour because he was busy getting a tan. Yep.

According to The Daily Star, an audience warm-up artist said to fans: “We’ve had to delay the show because Simon is stuck in the tanning booth.”

An onlooker added: “Some of the audience were visibly p**sed off by the news and started to boo and slow handclap.”

He eventually arrived to get the show on the road at 4.30pm.

This isn’t the first drama to have hit the BGT auditions this year, with reports claiming Amanda Holden threw three glasses of water over Simon during previous auditions.

Copyright [Syco / Thames / Corbis]

Simon was allegedly left ‘fuming’, accusing Amanda of ruining a £50,000 microphone.

The Mirror reports that Simon annoyed Amanda when he compared hopeful Joe Gibson to a bad date he’d had with her.

He reportedly told the auditionee: “It kind of reminded me when I went out for dinner with Amanda once, I liked the first half and then half way through I kind of thought, ‘That’s enough’, it felt like it was missing something, it was unoriginal.

2015 has been a blockbuster year in television, from Game of Thrones’ fifth season to the ‘Who killed Lucy Beale?’ storyline in EastEnders.

It was a big year of change for Simon Cowell’s reality music competition as we said goodbye to long-time judge Louis Walsh and presenter Dermot O’Leary. Instead, we said welcome back to former Xtra Factor hosts Caroline Flack and Olly Murs and hello to new judges Nick Grimshaw and Rita Ora. While ratings may be on the slide, The X Factor - now in its eleventh series - continues to be one of Britain’s most popular Saturday night shows. This year’s contestants included Anton Stephans, Seann Miley Moore, Che Chesterman and the infectious sisters from the Philippines, 4th Impact. We’re still not over Mason Noise’s bootcamp meltdown…

The Voice returned for its fourth series on BBC One in January and began the year with a bang. Months before joining The X Factor family, Rita Ora honed her skills as a talent show judge when she replaced Kylie Minogue on the judging panel. The series was won by Scottish singer Stevie McCrorie, who was a member of Ricky Wilson’s team. [Photo: Wenn]

Britain’s Got Talent thrilled audiences again this year with another dancing dog act as Jules O’Dwyer and her dog Matisse won over the public’s hearts with their daring routines, including a tight-rope walk. The ninth series also saw magician Jamie Raven and Welsh choir Côr Glanaethwy impress viewers. However, BGT came under some fire when it was revealed that one of Jules’ other dogs, Chase, had performed part of Jules and Matisse’s routine in the final. The switch led to over 800 Ofcom complaints.

It was a big year in the Yorkshire dales and there was one common denominator when it came to drama: Robert Sugden. The villainous character began 2015 by accidentally killing his sister-in-law Katie Sugden and then caused one of Emmerdale’s biggest disaster storylines yet - a helicopter crash. Naturally, the chopper crashed into a barn hosting Debbie Dingle’s wedding and killed Val Pollard and Ruby Haswell. Multiple residents on the ITV soap later became suspects in Robert’s shooting. A highly anticipated flashback episode revealed that the shooter was none other than Ross Barton.

The BBC has got to be popping the champagne this year as its hit dancing competition has been pulling in on average four million more viewers than rival show X Factor. This year’s celebrity contestants include Peter Andre, Jay McGuinness and TV presenter Anita Rani, who are all favourites to win. As always, it wouldn’t be Strictly without some dancing duds and this year Iwan Thomas was the first to go, while chef Ainsley Harriot lasted longer than expected. The series also marks the last for professional dancer Ola Jordan, who has appeared on Strictly for nearly a decade. [Photo: BBC/Guy Levy]

Just as we began recovering from season four, it was already time for the fifth season of Game of Thrones. With Tyrion Lannister now an outcast, he sought an alliance with Daenerys Targaryen, prompting their first scenes together in the show’s history. Meanwhile, in King’s Landing, Cersei Lannister found her own plotting turn against her as she was imprisoned by the religious anarchists, the Sparrows, and forced to confess to various sins. There was even a heartbreaking scene in which she was forced to walk through the city, completely naked, while a nun yelled “Shame”. And in perhaps Game of Thrones’ biggest cliffhangers yet, the season ended with the death of beloved character Jon Snow. We’re still not over it!

There’s never a dull year in Weatherfield and 2015 was no exception. The year started with a mini-bus crash, leaving fan favourites including Steve McDonald and Carla Connor in peril. That wasn’t the only big stunt of the year as in May, Tracy Barlow started a fire at a block of flats in an attempt to kill her rival, Carla. Unfortunately for her, the fire instead killed Kal Nazir. The Platts also had a tumultuous year in Corrie as Sarah returned to Weatherfield with her daughter Bethany but soon found herself mixed up in brother David’s drama with his stepson Max. Max’s father Callum Logan terrorises the family with attacks on Sarah’s ex Jason Grimshaw and even drugs Sarah. The storyline came to a dramatic climax in a live episode in September when Callum finally got his comeuppance and was killed by ex-girlfriend Kylie Platt. Corrie also said goodbye to legendary character Deirdre Barlow, who died off-screen in July, several months after actress Anne Kirkbride passed away in January.

In perhaps the most controversial series yet, Big Brother returned to screens in May with a ‘Timebomb’ theme. This series saw another group of fame-seekers live together with Chloe Wilburn eventually win the series in July. The show’s time warp theme saw numerous blasts from the past return to the famous Big Brother house including Nikki Grahame, Brian Belo, Aisleyne Horgan-Wallace and the previous year’s winner Helen Wood. Helen’s return to the house sparked over 1000 Ofcom complaints after she teared into happy-go-lucky Brian, saying he looked like a ‘rapist and murderer’. 

Yes, the most popular TV show of 2015 is EastEnders. And is it any surprise? The BBC One soap finally revealed Lucy Beale’s killer in a week of revelations to mark its 30th anniversary in February. Yes, little Bobby Beale offed his own sister with a music box - and the nation was gripped with millions of viewers tuning in for EastEnders’ week of anniversary episodes. There were further shocks over the course of the year as Dean Wicks managed to avoid jail for raping Linda Carter and viewers saw the return of the presumed-dead Kathy Beale. Kathy returned to the soap and reunited with her sons Ian Beale and Ben Mitchell, but her return also led to a new villain terrorising Walford - her new husband Gavin Sullivan. The gangster was even revealed to be Sharon Mitchell’s biological father. What a year in Albert Square!

Gearing up by stripping down! Fergie is giving fans a little taste of her new mystery project on social media, teasing her followers with sexy photos and bizarre clips. 

Her most recent shots feature the 42-year-old Dutchess entirely nude, wearing only stiletto heels as she shows off her enviable frame while lying down.

This comes after weeks of teasers, including shots of her in a corset and scenes of the singer running from the cops and looking very frightened.

Amanda Holden has ditched her clothes to extol the virtues of ditching meat from your diet.

The Britain’s Got Talent judge, 45, lies naked on a bed of green cabbages with just the words “Go Veggie: Your body will love you for it” to cover her modesty.

The un-retouched Peta campaign points out that vegetarians are, on average, slimmer than carnivores and have lower rates of heart disease and cancer.

Amanda said: “My vegetarian lifestyle keeps my body trim, gives me loads of energy and makes me feel happy. So when Peta suggested not retouching this image, I said, “Why not?” – the image is as natural as my lifestyle.”

“I have been a vegetarian since I was 13. For me, there are many benefits. My skin’s always good. I never feel bloated. The best thing you can do for animals is to just leave them off your plate.”

The campaign also hopes to raise awareness that going vegetarian will reduce your carbon footprint and spare potential animal suffering on factory farms, in abattoirs and on fishing boats.

Amanda joins the ranks of Sir Paul McCartney, Vivienne Westwood, Pamela Anderson, John Bishop and Lucy Watson who have all teamed up with Peta to promote meat-free meals.

Alesha Dixon has joined boyband Five in pulling out of a Brexit gig after discovering it is a political rally.

Both acts had been billed to join Sister Sledge and East 17 in entertaining the crowds at the BPop Live gig in Birmingham just days before the EU referendum vote.

But they have cancelled their performances after discovering the full political nature of the gig, which is being put on by the Leave.EU campaign which was founded by businessman and Ukip donor Arron Banks.

It is a further blow to the concert, which has already been hit by a number of line-up changes as acts discovered its political nature.

Drum ‘n’ bass act Sigma pulled out and told Buzzfeed they are “in no way supporting the event” when asked if they are in favour of Britain voting to leave the EU.

Dixon, who is a judge on Britain’s Got Talent, announced she had pulled out of the gig hours after Five declared they had.

In a statement her management said: “When Alesha was approached to perform at this event it was on the understanding that this was a multi artist pop concert in a fantastic venue in the heart of the UK and Alesha would be there purely as an entertainer.

“It has now come to light that this is more of a political rally with entertainment included and we have decided to withdraw Alesha from the event.

“We wish to apologise to any fans who may have purchased tickets for this event. I would like to make it clear that Alesha has no political allegiances either way on this issue.”

We were all left shocked when Britain’s Got Talent judge David Walliams split from his wife Lara Stone last March after five years of marriage.

The comedian has since been linked to a variety of beautiful women and now his ex has been spotted canoodling with Jordan Barrett, a nineteen-year-old model.

[Photo Credit: Rex]

Definitely an interesting development.

Lara, 32, was seen sharing a kiss with Jordan at a Cannes party and she was said to have been in “high spirits” when she attended a London nightclub with the teenage lothario earlier this week.

They then attended the Vogue 100 after party and dinner together, with other party-goers spotting them holding hands.

Speaking to The Sun, a source said: “The pair of them couldn’t seem to stop laughing as they left, and at the last minute Jordan grabbed Lara’s hand and led her away.

"They seemed very comfortable in each other’s company.”

Jordan has previously dated the likes of Hailey Baldwin and Paris Hilton, whereas this appears to be the first romance that Lara, who has a three-year-old son with David, has embarked on since her divorce.

[Photo Credit: Instagram]

Meanwhile, David was most recently linked with a 24-year-old Playboy model called Emily Agnes, however, insiders dished that the stunner was reluctant to take her relationship with the 44-year-old any further and eventually called it off.

Rita Ora has denied reports she will join the Britain’s Got Talent judging panel – despite gushing she “can’t wait” to work with Simon Cowell again.

Punters have been flooding Ladbrokes with bets on her joining the show after she ditched The X Factor.

She tweeted: ‘I had a ball on X Factor. Simon Cowell, can’t wait to work with you again. I’ll be round for dinner soon. Thank you for the experience, love X.’

Alex Apati from Ladbrokes said: “If the bets we have taken over the last few days are anything to go by, we will be seeing Rita on BGT. We have slashed the odds to even money from 10-1.”

Ora, 25, above, pulled out of The X Factor because she needs time to promote her new album.

Cowell, above, will be the only returning judge from the fourstrong panel after Cheryl Fernandez-Versini and Nick Grimshaw also dropped out.

A telly insider told the Daily Star: “Rita loves working with Simon and BGT is a shorter show, which would potentially fit in with her schedule.”

But Rita’s spokesman denied she will join BGT.

Pictures Getty Images

Kelly Brook is reportedly set to put her colourful relationship history to lucrative use in a new panel show focusing on dating, alongside host Eamonn Holmes.

Brook, below – now on her fourth engagement, this time to French model Jeremy Parisi – is said to have signed up as a team captain on Channel 5 show It’s Not Me, It’s You, The Sun reported.

It is the model/actress’ first TV gig since her US sitcom One Big Happy was axed last year after six episodes.

She was also sacked by The Big Breakfast and Britain’s Got Talent after short stints on the shows.

A TV insider told The Sun: “The show is very much on the same lines as Celebrity Juice, but focused on the world of relationships.

Eamonn Holmes, with wife Ruth Langsford, has had a more stable relationship history than Brook.

“It’s the classic panel show set-up but will be centred on dating, with rounds on drunken chat-up lines and couples leaving the honeymoon period.

“Filming starts later this month and, all being well, it will be on screens later this year.”

Brook will be up against rival team captain Katherine Ryan.

Pictures Getty Images

David Walliams was one of the many celebs to be struck by the curse of 2015, divorcing his model wife Lara Stone last year.

However, new reports claim that David has found somebody else to keep his bed warm at night, and it isn’t Simon Cowell…

According to the usual mystery sources, 44-year-old David has been enjoying a string of dates with 24-year-old Playboy model Emily Agnes, but she isn’t keen to take things further with the Britain’s Got Talent judge.

Speaking to The Sun, an insider dished: “Emily was flattered when David approached her and was even more impressed by his charm and lovely manners.

"He made no secret of the fact he was very interested and asked her out straight away.

"They went on quite a few dates and Emily had a great time but she was conscious that he recently ended his marriage.”

The father-of-one has previously been linked to Made In Chelsea’s Ashley James but was said to be “cautious” about entering a new relationship last year despite there being a “huge attraction” between the pair.

A source said of Ashley at the time: “David made his feelings clear. He sent her a bunch of white roses and a card signed ‘DW’.

Not so long ago it was reported that Gigi Hadid was willing to ditch New York and move to Los Angeles for her boyfriend, Zayn Malik, but now the rumour mill has changed LA for sunny London - but the deal still remains.

Ooft, these two really must be serious then.

According to mysterious sources, the 21-year-old supermodel is eager to join Zayn on the road as he promotes his debut album ‘Mind Of Mine’, putting her own career on hold for a whopping four months.

The insider explained: “Zayn is on the cusp of announcing a UK tour and when it happens he wants to have Gigi by his side.

"Currently she wants to come and live in the UK to support him - they’re both really excited to spend more time together.”

However, Gigi’s mum Yolanda Foster is understandably concerned about the impact that this could have on her daughter’s own career, with the source adding to LOOK magazine: “Gigi’s mum Yolanda has been particularly vocal about the plan.

"She feels Gigi is at the height of her career right now and she’s worried it could be a mistake to risk it all for a man.

"Even her friends like Kendall Jenner have warned her to be careful. They’ve seen how hard she’s worked to break the fashion industry.”

The revelation comes just days after it was reported that Zayn had spoiled Gigi rotten for her 21st birthday, with an insider previously revealing: “Zayn showered Gigi with flowers and presents for her birthday.

"He was very thoughtful with what presents he got her. Gigi really wanted to see Zayn on her special day and he made it happen, they had a few hours of alone time.”

With the final judging line-up for this year’s X Factor still very much up in the air, one name not in the ring is Louis Walsh’s choice, Nicole Scherzinger.

Pace/BEI/Shutterstock

According to reports the ex-Pussycat Doll has turned down Simon Cowell’s offer to return to the show to replace Cheryl.

Si is said to be keen on getting an X Factor veteran back in the judge’s chair, instead of relying on new blood like last year.

But Nic already has plans, opting for a role in Cats on Broadway instead. She’s obviously not feline the love.

Jim Smeale/BEI/Shutterstock

A source told the Daily Star: “Simon wants to know he is in safe hands this year after last year’s disaster. He wants everything to run smoothly. In his eyes that means a tried and tested panel rather than going for a big name who could be a  risk.

“He knows that Sharon, Louis and Nicole all work well. They offer the right balance of star quality, fun and personality.

Matt Baron/BEI/Shutterstock

“Simon has really learned from Britain’s Got Talent that if the panel work well then everything else snowballs from there and that’s what he wants to create with this year’s X Factor again.”

Ariel Winter is leaving very little to the imagination!

The 18-year-old Modern Family star attended weekend two of the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival in Indio, California, where opted for a number of revealing ensembles over the course of the three-day desert style.

On Saturday, Winter flaunted her curvy figure in distressed denim cut-offs and a tiny yellow lace cropped top that featured a plunging neckline. She styled the look (which gave us major Britney Spears circa 2004 vibes!) with aviator sunglasses, comfy white sneakers and a bandana, which she tied around her neck.

AKM-GSI
The actress also donned a mermaid-esque look during the second day of the festival, sporting a vibrant shell top and tousled locks, as seen in a picture shared by her hair stylist, Michael Duenas.

Winter rocked a similar look on Friday, when she was joined by her boyfriend, Laurent Claude Gaudette, who kept it super simple in a basic black T-shirt, matching shorts and a baseball cap.

Once they initially made their way through the gates, Winter took to Twitter to let her fans know she had arrived, simply tweeting, "Coachella I am inside you."

This isn't the first time we've seen Winter don a cleavage-baring ensemble this month, however. On Wednesday, she turned heads in a two-piece outfit for the star-studded Glamour Game Changers lunch.

Being the daughter of songstress Faye Wong and rock singer Dou wei, Leah Dou knows that she doesn't have to work hard to get what she wants. But the singer-songwriter chose to make a name for herself, according to Mingpao News.

"I like playing music, but I know that I have to earn my own money and I don't want to rely on others," said the singer, whose English album, "Stone Cafe", is set to launch this 22 April.

When asked if being the daughter of two famous music icons made life easier or harder, Leah thought for a while before saying, "In truth, it is quite a burden. But it is also an advantage. There are pros and cons, but I don't mind being born into such a family."

However, she stressed that she decided to make it on her own instead of asking her parents to thoroughly help her in the industry.

"There are certain challenges that I could not resist. However, in this case, I was determined not to seek help," she said.

She added that Faye has also given her a lot of space in terms of shaping her own style and creativity.

As for education, Leah said that she has thought about continuing her studies, but believed that there are certain things in life that cannot be learned in school.

"When a person is very clear about what they want, sometimes school may become an obstacle," she said.

On the other hand, the singer declined to comment about her mother's relationship with actor Nicholas Tse, saying that she will not intervene in the matter.

(Photo source: ol.mingpao.com)