A heartwarming video has been circulating on social media, showing Britain Got Talent (BGT) judge Simon Cowell hugging Ghana’s Afronitaa and Abigail, and offering her a congratulatory message.
The touching moment was captured backstage after the show, where contestants were exchanging pleasantries and well-wishes.
Simon Cowell is seen smiling and sharing a few words with Afronitaa before embracing her.
Afronitaa and Abigail secured the third place position in the competition, with Jack Rhodes as the 2nd runner-up and Sydnie Christmas taking the top spot.
The video has garnered mixed reactions on social media.
During the Semi-Finals of Britain’s Got Talent, judges Simon Cowell, Amanda Holden, Alesha Dixon, and Bruno Tonioli were thoroughly captivated by the performance of the Ghanaian duo Abigail and Afronitaaa.
The judges eagerly shared their impressions of the mesmerizing act, unanimously hailing it as sensational and unmatched.
Afronitaaa and Abigail lit up the stage with their electrifying dance routine, choreographed to tracks including Fuse ODG’s “Azonto,” Toofan’s “Gweta,” and Beyoncé’s “Run the World.”
Their performance earned a standing ovation, with the crowd enthusiastically praising them even as the judges delivered their evaluations.
Alesha Dixon led the praise, remarking, “Sometimes there are not enough words to articulate what makes us feel because the audience says it for us. So much natural sauce, so much flavor, so much personality, and so much joy that you just brought to the Britain’s Got Talent stage, and I’d love to see you in the finals.”
Amanda Holden echoed the sentiment, declaring, “It’s a 100 percent, I absolutely love it because the audience has said it all. You’re absolutely unbelievable and even better than your first audition.”
Bruno Tonioli expressed his admiration, exclaiming, “Oh my darling, looking at you makes me happy, and your individual style of dancing is so unique and beautiful. Your musicality is out of this world, and your personality shines through. It illuminates. Love you. Love you.”
Simon Cowell concluded with a prophetic note, stating, “I think what is happening behind me (the excitement from the audience), is more important than what I say. When you got it, you got it. I had a feeling last night about who’s gonna win this show this year.”
Background Ghanaians across social media have celebrated the achievements of Afronitaaa and Abigail, aged 20 and 7 respectively.
Afronitaaa, reflecting on their success, said she felt blessed to have come this far.
The duo advanced to the finale after winning the public vote on the fourth semi-final night. They will compete against 10 other contestants in the finale on Sunday, June 2nd, 2024.
The comments aboutcontestants are believed to have been made by Britain’s Got Talent judge David Walliams during commercial breaks.
David Walliams has apologised for making “disrespectful” comments about Britain’s Got Talent (BGT) contestants during filming.
“I would like to apologise to the people I made disrespectful comments about during breaks in filming for Britain’s Got Talent in 2020,” the 51-year-old comedian, actor, and children’s author said in a statement.
“These were private conversations and – like most conversations with friends – were never intended to be shared. Nevertheless, I am sorry.”
The remarks are understood to have been both derogatory and sexually explicit, referring to one contestant as a “c***” and saying of another: “She thinks you want to f*** her, but you don’t”.
Image: BGT judges Simon Cowell, Alesha Dixon, Amanda Holden and Walliams, with Ant & Dec in 2019
The comments were part of a leaked transcript, seen by The Guardian, which was from a recorded audition show at the London Palladium in January 2020.
Walliams has been a judge on the show since 2012, along with fellow judges Simon Cowell, Amanda Holden and Alesha Dixon.
There has been no implication that any of the other judges made inappropriate comments about contestants.
Walliams’ remarks were the only inappropriate comments seen by The Guardian within the leaked transcripts, which covered three episodes of the show.
They are understood to have been picked up by the microphones on the judges’ desk at the centre of the auditorium.
Responding to the comments, creator of BGT Simon Cowell and his company Syco Entertainment said they did not condone Walliams’ remarks and made clear that Cowell had not been aware of the remarks at the time.
Walliams, who has been named best judge at the National Television Awards three times during his 10-year stint on the show, has frequently been praised for his chemistry with Cowell.
Thames TV, the production company behind Britain’s Got Talent, said in a statement to Sky News: “Although relating to a private conversation almost three years ago, the language used was inappropriate.
“Even though it was private, those involved have been spoken to and reminded of their responsibilities and the show’s expectations as to future professional conduct.”
Thames are also understood to have provided training for their on-screen judges over the last few years, dealing with issues of language and respect around contestants and members of the public.
A spokesperson for ITV said: “We do not condone the language outlined in these allegations, and we have spoken to the producers of Britain’s Got Talent.
“Duty of care towards all participants on any of our programmes is always of paramount importance and we have protocols and guidelines in place for all our production partners.”
ITV has been under the spotlight in recent years, with questions asked over the channel’s duty of care to contestants following the death of Jeremy Kyle Show participant Steve Diamond a week after appearing on the talk show, and the deaths of two former Love Island contestants, Sophie Gradon and Mike Thalassitis, who both took their own lives.
