Britain’s Got Talent champ Jai McDowall has revealed Simon Cowell gave him “more than he should have” for winning the hit ITV talent show.
The Scottish singer won the 2011 series of BGT, which bagged him a whopping £100,000 cash prize and a performing slot at the prestigious Royal Variety performance.
However, Jai suggested show boss Simon Cowell gave him more than he should have – including an album deal and a tour.
Speaking exclusively to Daily Star, Jai confirmed he patched things up with Simon after their feud and that the music mogul gave him more opportunities than show champs usually get.
Dishing on the lucrative opportunities he got from Simon, Jai said: “Look at what he’s done for myself. A lot of people don’t know this, but on BGT you get a prize and you get to sing at the Royal Variety, but I got a lot of stuff I shouldn’t have got.
(Image: ITV)
“I got the album deal and I got a tour, and I got certain things out of it that I wasn’t supposed to, and I always say to people that I got a lot more than I should have. He didn’t do me that wrong.”
Jai signed to Simon’s record label Syco Music and released his debut album Believe, only to be dropped from the record giant a year later.
The pair’s feud began after Simon admitted he was “disappointed” with Jai’s progress, adding: “He wasn’t one of our best ones.”
Jai later slammed the BGT boss by branding him “anti-Scottish”, after another Scottish star was ejected from the show.
(Image: Getty Images)
However, Jai said he buried the hatchet with head judge Simon and theuir spat is “water under the bridge” these days.
They got to catch up when Jai appeared on BGT: The Champions in 2019, which saw past winners return to the stage, and he dazzled the judges with his vocal talents all over again.
He also left fans swooning with his hunky transformation on the legends show, which peaked the interest of his pals who messaged him about his admirers.
Asked if it was all water under the bridge with Simon, Jai said: “Now, thankfully it is. It was one of those things years ago where I was doing interviews for the Daily Record, I think.
(Image: ITV)
“The last Scottish person had been put out the competition so there was a lot of things said. I was asked if he was anti-Scottish and I was like ‘Yeah, sounds like it. Haha.’
The singer defended Simon by insisting he wasn’t anti-Scottish and went on to explain how much he’d done for himself and fellow Scottish BGT star Susan Boyle.
Jai later recalled his reunion with Simon as he said: “At Champions, him and I spoke. It was nice of him to publicly apologise, but we spoke after the show and I was like, ‘Look, everything that happened. It was just a misunderstanding.”
“He was like ‘Oh no, I get it. Don’t worry about it. It’s all fixed’.
(Image: ITV)
“I was like ‘this is lovely’ and I was like ‘don’t cry, don’t cry!’ But it was nice because for me, it felt like one of those things that I always wanted to say.”
Jai said he’s always been grateful for Britain’s Got Talent, which he hailed as a “blessing” in his life.
He said: “I’ve always been grateful for Britain’s Got Talent. I wouldn’t be doing the job I’m doing if it wasn’t for the show. It’s always been a blessing in my life, but that made it seem like I was really ungrateful and I was like ‘no, this is not the case’.”
Jai’s enjoyed a handful of projects since leaving the show, such as his theatre show Les Musicals with G4 frontman Jonathan Ansell.
(Image: Stirling council)
The kind-hearted star also returned to care work during the lockdown, which saw him look after a family in need, whom he still keeps in touch with.
His Les Musicals tour kicked off last month and is still on the move in June.
He said: “It’s a nice tour to be a part of, actually, because we got on so well, and the fans love that kind of banter between us both. Off stage and on. It’s an easy tour to be a part of, because it’s a laugh most of the time!”
To catch him on his UK theatre tour with Les Musicals, you can visit the website here.
Jai released his latest single, a cover of All of Me by John Legend, last summer.
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Source: Celebrities - dailystar.co.uk
