Simon Cowell offered Cheryl a role on Britain’s Got Talent before Amanda Holden was chosen – but the singer changed her mind a week before filming began
Simon Cowell has revealed that Cheryl was once in line for a spot on Britain’s Got Talent but ditched the gig at the eleventh hour leaving the spot open for another star.
The boss of the talent show, Simon sits at the head of the judging table with stars Alesha Dixon, Amanda Holden, and the latest addition, Bruno Tonioli.
Before Amanda became a staple on the smash-hit series, Simon had singer Cheryl earmarked for the judge’s seat, but she did an about-turn just a week before cameras were set to roll. As BGT gears up for its 18th series premiere this Saturday, telly favourites Ant McPartlin and Declan Donnelly are back to steer the ship as the show’s hosts.
This season also sees social media sensation and musician KSI stepping in as a guest judge. In a recent chat, Simon doled out high praise for Amanda, who’s been gracing the panel since day one.
“She is our Britain’s Got Talent queen and she deserves that crown,” he gushed. Dishing the dirt on past judge recruitment, he revealed: “And you know what? She was an interesting booking because we’d offered the role to Cheryl Cole, as she was known in those days.
“A week before filming, she calls me and goes, ‘I just can’t do it’, and wouldn’t give me a reason. I think she was freaked out. We literally had two judges and a week to book someone. I just knew it had to be Amanda because I’d met her and I really liked her, she was very funny and I just thought she’d fit the show perfectly,” reports the Mirror.
“Fast forward 18 years and she’s still a huge success and we have become great friends. I do consider her one of my best friends.”
Although Cheryl never featured as a judge on BGT, she took a seat on The X Factor UK panel in 2008, giving notable nods to Alexandra Burke and Joe McElderry during her tenure. She hung up her judging hat in 2011 to join the US edition of the show, but bid farewell during the audition rounds.
Not long after, she swung back to the UK version for another two stints. Cheryl’s also strutted her stuff on the BGT stage as a performer in 2014 and dished out advice as a guest mentor on The X Factor in both 2012 and 2017.
Plus, she snagged the role of dance captain for one season of The Greatest Dancer. In other news, KSI has just been unveiled as a guest judge on BGT, and he’s over the moon about it.
Chatting up his new gig, which kicks off with the ITV show’s February launch, KSI gushed: “I’m so excited to be a guest judge for BGT,” according to the statement released. “When I got the call up, I couldn’t believe it. I remember watching old BGT episodes and going from being amazed to laughing my [expletive] off. I’m buzzing to see all the fresh new talent, and I’ll be sure to leave a mark.”
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Source: Celebrities - dailystar.co.uk
