Amanda Holden has been a judge on Britain’s Got Talent since the show began in 2007, but she wasn’t Simon Cowell’s first choice to join the panel as she said Cheryl Cole “must be kicking herself”
Amanda Holden quipped that Cheryl Cole “must be kicking herself” for snubbing the chance to be on the Britain’s Got Talent judging panel.
Cheryl, the Girls Aloud singer, was all set to hop aboard the hit ITV show but bailed out just before the cameras started rolling. That left the door wide open for Amanda, 54, who back then was working as an actress.
Simon Cowell, now 65, called Amanda an “interesting booking” at the time. With Cheryl out of the picture, he reckoned Amanda would be a smashing fit for the show.
While Cheryl, now 41, gave BGT a miss, she did end up joining Simon on The X Factor in 2014, stepping into Sharon Osbourne’s shoes for a couple of seasons. Spilling the beans on the Tea at Four podcast, Amanda let slip that she was in the middle of filming an ITV drama when Simon came calling.
She joked: “I was an actress to that point and I think Simon, it’s famous that she asked Cheryl Cole to do it but she turned it down…I bet she’s kicking herself. I love Cheryl, bless her, but she did go on to do X Factor,” reports Belfast Live.
“I think that was because I was in a drama called Wild At Heart and it was one of those classic Sunday night dramas, so Simon got me to do that.
“And from there I have just turned into a host and presenter and I don’t really act anymore really.”
Simon has recently been singing Amanda’s praises, dubbing her the “queen” of Britain’s Got Talent. He let slip that the star is absolutely mad about watching the acts.
He disclosed: “That’s her, she honestly loves it. You know, every time I talk to her it makes me laugh because I say, ‘you are loving this, aren’t you?’
“Because there are days where I’m knackered and there’s still an hour to go. And I’m like, wow, it’s been a long day, and she’s like, ‘yeah, but it’s brilliant, isn’t it?’ She is our Britain’s Got Talent queen and she deserves that crown.”
The top dog in TV added with a hint of revelation: “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.”
Chipping in with more juicy insider info, he remarked: “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.
“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.”
Britain’s Got Talent is back on the telly tonight (Saturday, May 3) at 7pm on ITV One, featuring Amanda and Simon alongside Bruno Tonioli and Alesha Dixon as they handpick the next act for the semi-final thrills.
Source: Celebrities - dailystar.co.uk
