BRITAIN’S Got Talent hosts Ant and Dec risked being “replaced” by Simon Cowell after they took a cheeky swipe at him
The cheeky Geordie duo, both 48, love to poke fun at the head judge, 64, and last night was no different
Their latest comment about Simon came as they introduced magician Trixy as the next BGT semi-final act to perform.
Introducing him, Dec said: “Next stop is a magician whose audition featured an old car who belonged to Simon Cowell back in the 1990s.”
Ant then added: “Your face when you saw that beautiful car!”
To which Declan replied: “Of course it had a lot of work done since the 1990s.
Not missing a beat, Ant quipped: “The car?” and his co-host quickly replied laughing: “If you like!”
Simon is well known for his love of cosmetic procedures and has been honest about what he’s had done in the past.
The Sun reported in 2018 that he had undergone a $2,550 “Silhouette Soft Lift” with Dr. Jean-Louis Sebagh, who is known as the “Picasso of dermatology.”
The procedure involves tugging a bioplastic-infused thread that has been sewn into the face to get rid of sagging skin.
Simon admitted to going under the knife, complaining that it “hurt like hell.”
“There’s lots of things you can do now. You don’t just have to stuff your face with filler and Botox,” he told The Sun on Sunday of seeing the doctor, who has a six-month waitlist.
“It hurts like hell but it gets rid of sun damage and unplugs all the crap.
“For me now, it’s all about having clean skin. If you have clean skin, you look better.”
It comes after viewers last night questioned whether Simon had a “total personality transplant” after observing his noticeably less scathing feedback.
The music mogul came known around the world for his harsh criticisms on competition shows including The X Factor, American Idol and earlier, Pop Idol.
He has also judged on his creation, Britain’s Got Talent since the show began in 2007 although fans have noted his less severe comments in recent years.
In particular, BGT viewers flocked to X, formerly Twitter, after singer Gambino Akuboy took to the stage in Friday’s semi-final.
Gambino, 38, kicked off the live show with an upbeat song centred around celebrating the weekend after a busy working week.
His efforts impressed Simon, who told Gambino: “Part of doing well on this show is being likeable and you are so likeable.
“That song is so catchy and you know what, anything can happen on this show.
“I wouldn’t be surprised if the audience back you tonight to make it into the top three.
Meet the BGT 2024 Golden Buzzer acts
During the seventeenth season of Britain's Got Talent a whopping NINE Golden Buzzers were given out.
Here after all the acts who were awarded the coveted buzzer:
- Roller-skater duo Stardust.
- Japanese impressionist Nabe.
- Dance troupe Phoenix Boys.
- Entertainer and music teacher Taryn Charles.
- Japanese group Haribow.
- Singer and West End performer Sydnie Christmas.
- Taekwondo performers Ssaulabi Taekwondo Troupe.
- Ravi’s Dream Team choir.
- Professional Japanese dance group Cyberagent Legit.
“Seriously, I just love everything about you and that performance.
Fans watching at home weren’t as enthusiastic, with one writing: “I’d hire Gambino as a crowd warm up but that’s all. I never saw his audition and cannot believe he’s in the semi finals.”
Another queried: “Has Simon Cowell had a total personality transplant?”
A third added: “Simon is very wrong I shall not be backing him absolutely not.”
‘IT’S A FIX’
Meanwhile, there was plenty of action last with fans again calling BGT a “fix”.
Comedian Alex Mitchell was put straight through to Sunday’s final while the judges were left choosing between Trixy and blind musicians Denise and Stefan.
Bruno Toniol was first up and he chose to save Denise and Stefan.
Alesha Dixon was next and described it as a “nightmare”.
She eventually settled on Trixy, as did Amanda Holden and Simon.
But some fans found themselves scratching their heads over a comment Alesha made as she cast her vote.
Alesha had said she was picking Trixy to ‘balance out’ the votes after Bruno had chosen Alex.
This then made it easy for Amanda and Simon to ensure he went through to the final by each voting for him, which gave him a majority.
Timeline of BGT Winners
Britain's Got Talent has been thrilling fans since it burst onto the scene in 2007.
Here we take a look at all the BGT winners– from the first ever one to the most recent:
2007: Paul Potts– The first ever winner of BGT was opera singer Paul Potts. He saw off competition from Connie Talbot, The Bar Wizards, Bessie Cursors, Damon Scott and Kombat Breakers to win.
2008: George Sampson – In series two of Britain’s Got Talent a young George Sampson wowed judges and viewers with his impressive dance moves.
2009: Diversity– Dance troupe Diversity scooped the BGT crown and beat of competition from singer Susan Boyle, who was strongly tipped to win the show.
2010 – Spellbound: Gymnastic troupe Spellbound really impressed judge Simon Cowell with their stunning routines and incredible stunts in 2010. At the time, the music mogul said: “I can only say on live television that was one of the most astonishing things I have ever seen.”
2011 – Jai McDowall: Viewers were stunned when Jai McDowall won the show in 2011, as young singer Ronan Parke was the favourite to win the series.
2012 – Ashleigh and Pudsy: Ashleigh Butler and her adorable pooch Pudsey stole hearts when they performed in series six of the talent show.
2013 – Attraction: Hungarian shadow artist group Attraction won the seventh series of Britain’s Got Talent. The squad had taken part in the German version of BGT in 2012, however, they had only placed seventh.
2014 – Collabro: Classical music band Collabro faced tough competition in the 2014 final as all the finalist were singers, but they went on to scoop the crown.
2015 – Jules O’Dwyer & Matisse: Dog lovers everywhere could’t get enough of Jules O’Dwyer and pet pup Matisse. The impressive duo even performed on a tightrope to secure their win.
2016 – Richard Jones: Army man Richard Jones became the first magician in the show’s history to win Britain’s Got Talent.
2017 – Tokio Myers: Pianist Tokio Myers impressed the judges with his blend of classical and electronic music.
2018 – Lost Voice Guy: Stand-up comedian Lost Voice Guy, who performs with a speech synthesiser, was diagnosed with cerebral palsy when he was six months old. However, he defied the odds and is a BGT champ.
2019 – Colin Thackery: Veteran army officer Colin Thackery warmed the nations hearts with his singing voice. He was crowned winner of BGT after singing Michael Ball’s Love Changes Everything.
2020 – Jon Courtenay: Singer and pianist Jon Courtenay was Ant and Dec’s Golden Buzzer act. After he won the £250,000 prize he said: “”Just amazing, I can’t believe it.”
2022 – Axel Blake: Comedian Axel Blake scooped the crown after the show was off air for two years during Covid.
2023 – Viggo Venn: The reigning BGT champ is comedian Viggo Venn.
One fan has posted a gif reading ‘It was fixed!’ and alongside it wrote: “Alesha said ‘I’m going to balance it out and pick Trixy’ and then the last two pick Trixy.”
Friday’s semi-final also featured The Dark Hero, The Messoudi Brothers, Cyberagent Legit, Amasing, Trixy, Alex Mitchell and Denise & Stefan.
Britain’s Got Talent airs on ITV1 and is available to watch on ITVX.
