BGT boss Simon Cowell has admitted Amanda Holden – part of the ITV show’s judging panel since 2007 – wasn’t his first pick for the role.
The pair are currently joined by Alesha Dixon and Bruno Tonioli for the judging line up for the 18th series, with influencer KSI also making guest appearances.
But back when the telly talent hunt first started airing nearly two decades ago, it was former newspaper editor Piers Morgan who popped up on screen alongside Amanda and Simon.
However, if Simon had had his way, Amanda might not have had the opportunity to make the Saturday night primetime spot her own.
BGT boss Simon Cowell nearly didn’t employ Amanda Holden
That’s because, according to reports, then-Girls Aloud star Cheryl was wanted for the judging job.
Simon is reported to have claimed the Fight for This Love singer changed her mind about being part of BGT just days before filming was scheduled to begin.
Simon is quoted as saying he reckons Chezza may have been “freaked out”.
Praising Amanda, Simon said: “She is our Britain’s Got Talent queen and she deserves that crown.”
He then went on to recall how the series could have been very different if the original casting had transpired and Amanda hadn’t been added to the mix.
‘We’d offered the role to Cheryl Cole’
Simon reflected: “And you know what? [Amanda] 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.”
Simon added: “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.”
Instead, Cheryl went on to be a mainstay on the panel for The X Factor from 2008 for three years. She then went on to appear briefly in the US version of the singing series. During her first run Cheryl mentored Alexandra Burke and Joe McElderry to series wins.
She later returned to the UK show for two seasons from 2014 after her three-week stint on the US series.
Read more: Britain’s Got Talent 2025 in chaos as Simon Cowell heckled at ‘raucous’ audition
Britain’s Got Talent is on ITV1 on Saturday 22 February at 7pm.
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