Amanda Holden may have slightly stolen the show during The Haunting’s Britain’s Got Talent semi-final performance, but her swearing didn’t stop viewers from noticing how one part of the performance was pulled off.
The illusionist’s act saw her continue with the theme laid out in her original audition, presenting a creepy story based on the ghost of ‘Agatha’ and her 11-year-old daughter.
The performance saw star Elizabeth lead Amanda around a series of backstage areas and the scariest moment came when a mirror smashed and all of the lights went out.
When they flickered back on, the creepy Agatha figure was suddenly next to Amanda, in Elizabeth’s place.
But eagle-eyed fans noticed something interesting in the previous shot, spotting that the person playing the ghost was hiding around a corner, ready to swap with Elizabeth:
Whoops.
When Elizabeth led Amanda back on stage to close the performance, the judge couldn’t contain herself and yelled “fuck” as fear took over.
As soon as she realised she’d just yelled the f-word live on ITV, Amanda covered her mouth in shock, before apologising profusely when it was time for the judges to share their comments.
“I said a really terrible word,” she said. “I know there are kids watching, I know my kids are watching, so massive apologies.
“I can honestly say I feel terrified.”
The Haunting made it into the evening’s top three, narrowly missing out on a place in Sunday’s grand final.
The first act to make it through was Dave and police dog Finn. The judges then opted to put the schoolchildren of Flakefleet Primary School through, after their heartwarming rendition of Bonnie Tyler’s Holding Out For A Hero.
Simon Cowell brushed off the controversy, though, insisting: “I see it as a testament to how we are as a country. We want everyone to do well, no matter where they are from. It’s a positive not a negative.”
However, by the time she made it through to the live finals, producers were accused of exploiting a vulnerable woman, with reports repeatedly suggesting she was struggling to cope with the media attention surrounding her.
Writing in the Daily Mail, Simon Cowell has later said: “Looking back on it all, it has become clear to me that we didn't handle the situation with Susan as well as we could have. Yet to be honest, when I analyse exactly what happened, I don't know that I could have done it any differently.”
Although Simon Cowell later allowed her to perform again at the end of the show, it was a memorably uncomfortable moment for BGT viewers, who questioned whether children should be allowed to take part in such a high-pressure competition.
However, David was met with a backlash from viewers when he made the unpopular decision to put through Christian Spridon, after his *ahem* unique take on Tom Jones’s Sex Bomb.
Claiming she was“relieved” to have been let go early, she added: “[Simon] was hours late. We would have to start at 9am and he wouldn't get there until 1pm. It was disrespectful to me, Amanda Holden and Piers Morgan. Throughout my career, if I have a call time of 9am, I'll be there at 8.30am ready to go. Simon didn't work like that, it was his party and he did it his way.
“It wasn't what I wanted to do anyway, I wanted to act. So when it didn't work out I wasn't bothered, it meant I could go back to doing what I really wanted to do."
J-Lo later insisted: “I don’t think I’m any racier than any other female pop artist. OK, I’ll wear a sexy outfit, but I think it’s more because my body shape’s a little different to other body shapes, so that’s not very fair.”
Eventually, the company issued a statement, insisting: “There has been speculation on the internet that Britain's Got Talent finalist Ronan Parke was known to and worked with Syco/Sony Music before entering the show. There is no truth in this story whatsoever. Ronan first came to Syco/Sony's attention when he entered this year's competition.”
Simon also addressed the controversy live on air, claiming: “There has been an allegation made in the papers - not in the papers actually, on the Internet - that Ronan Parke had a previous recording contract with me, that I’d bet him beforehand, both of which are complete and utter lies. He entered the show of his own accord, he’s 12 years old, this is a deliberate smear campaign.”