EXCLUSIVE: Britain's Got Talent winner Paul Potts shared his true thoughts on the four judges; Simon Cowell, Alesha Dixon, Amanda Holden, and Bruno Tonioli
Paul Potts, the first ever winner of Britain's Got Talent, said Bruno Tonioli "needs a bit of reining in" as he shared his thoughts on the newest judge.
The current judging panel consists of; Bruno, who replaced David Walliams in 2023, Alesha Dixon and veteran judges Amanda Holden and Simon Cowell.
Paul soared to fame after capturing the hearts of judges including Simon, Amanda, and then-judge Piers Morgan, with a stellar performance of Nessun Dorma.
Reflecting on how the show has changed since he was a contestant, the tenor said Simon and Amanda have remained "pretty much the same".
Simon and Amanda have been constants – Amanda's been there for every single series, and Simon [has] only missed one. They're both very straightforward in how they do things," he shared.
Despite not being judged by Alesha during his competition stint, Paul has met her several times. "In fact, my wife and her sister once sang 'The Boy Does Nothing' [Alesha's song] in perfect unison to me, and I told Alesha about it. She loved that," he recalled.
Commenting on the latest full-time addition to the panel, the tenor added: "As for Bruno, sometimes he needs a bit of reining in, but he's getting into the flow of things.
Noting Bruno's lively persona, the 54-year-old continued: "I don't think he'll ever stop jumping up and down, though!".
Speaking on behalf of Sky Vegas, Paul predicted that Bruno will be on the show for many years moving forward.
"Overall, the panel is really good. You definitely need someone with energy, and he's certainly got that," he added.
This year, Bruno and Simon were temporarily replaced by rapper KSI at times, due to their other commitments away from the show.
Since then, fans have called for KSI to take up a more permanent position on the panel. Fully acquainted with the show, Paul hasn't dismissed the idea of taking on a judging role himself in the future.
Sharing how he thinks he'd be as a judge, he said: "I wouldn't want to become the new 'bad guy' like Simon Cowell or anything like that. That's not my style. But when I've been on judging panels before, I've always been straightforward – never rude or abrupt."
Tonight, eight more acts will be performing in the hope of making it through to the final. Those taking to the stage include; singers Hear Our Voice, Max Fox and Maya Giotea, dancers Idolls and Obsequious, comedian Joseph Charm, variety act Papi and, magician TK Magic.
Those already through to the final include; dance group Ping Pong Pang, singers Jasmine Rice, Stacey Leadbeater and Vinnie McKee, guitarist Olly Pearson and LED show act The Blackouts.
Sharing his thoughts on singers, like himself, being a part of the show, Paul said: "Singers often have a tougher time in the final because there's this perception that there are too many of them, and sometimes it's unfairly suggested that singing isn't a 'real' talent – which, of course, it absolutely is."
Britain's Got Talent continues tonight at 7pm on ITV and ITVX.
