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Simon Cowell’s life ‘saved’ by Britain’s Got Talent crew in dramatic moment
Simon got home from BGT audition in Blackpool and thought ‘that was dark – I nearly got killed 12 times’
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Trying not to move a muscle while a blindfolded man wielding a mallet attacked a watermelon next to his head – Simon Cowell admits he feared for his life during the making of this year’s Britain’s Got Talent.
And the fruit-crusher is just one of many weird and wacky acts taking part in the upcoming 18th series, which also features the show’s most grotesque performer yet – in the shape of Auzzy Blood. The American drew howls of disgust as he threaded a huge screw, and then a tube, through his nose and mouth – even persuading Simon to drink some wine from the tube running through his body. Welcome to the extraordinary world of BGT 2025, brought to ITV viewers this year from the seaside town of Blackpool, where head judge Simon says he really thought it was all over for him.
When the new series starts, the audience will see Simon lying on the stage with mallets and bits of watermelon flying all around as co-judges Amanda Holden and Alesha Dixon scream in horror. When a crew member finally steps in to stop the act, Simon looks dazed and shaken as he sits up and asks: “Are you f***ing crazy?” Speaking about that moment afterwards, he told the Mirror: “It’s that feeling when you kind of think somebody doesn’t want you on the show any more. It was that. It was the closest, genuinely, where I’m thinking ‘they actually want to kill me’. And I swear to God, that’s how I felt because this guy got really nervous and he’d slipped and was shaking as he was smashing these watermelons.”
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Simon, 65, said the laughing producers were telling him to ‘carry on’ but he was hugely relieved when it was all over. “The health and safety guys, normally quite annoying, actually stopped him. Thank God, they saved my life. When you’re up there you’re immersed in it and then you go home and think ‘that sh*t is dark, I nearly got killed twelve times’.”
Amanda, 53, said that watching Simon nearly get battered had been “horrific” because he had been told to stay entirely still, but kept moving and said he’d felt the “wind of the hammer” next to his ear. “Even with St. John’s Ambulance – I don’t know what they would’ve done – but in the wings it was so precarious because it was melon they were smashing, so the water was everywhere,” Amanda recalls. “Any kind of safety that there must have been was out the window. It was very hard to watch.” Alesha, 46, said she felt the same: “We were genuinely worried. I realised how much I cared about you, Simon! Please don’t do that again. It is funny though, the hardest acts to watch end up being the most entertaining to watch back.”
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Another act which viewers may find difficult not to turn away from is Auzzy Blood, from Las Vegas who, at one point, hoists himself off the ground using a nasal hook. The judges admit the gruesome scenes might spark complaints. “Let’s hope so. Because I’ve kept fully dressed and covered up, so we’re praying for Ofcom,” Amanda quipped – a reference to previous complaints over her skimpy outfits.
Simon agreed that the TV regulator might receive moans but felt sure his ten-year-old son, Eric, would enjoy it. “We do have kids in the audience and I’m always looking behind going, ‘Do they like it?’ And actually, yeah, they do. But we probably will get some complaints. I love it when they say ‘don’t try this at home’ like we’ve all got screws and things just waiting to do that.” He claimed that he hadn’t actually swallowed any of the wine going through Auzzy Blood’s nasal tube into his mouth, insisting: “It got to a millimetre away – it’s close, but not quite.”
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Guest judge KSI – a boxer, singer and YouTuber who has 80million followers – was relieved, saying: “The guy with the screws. What the hell? It was ridiculous. I can’t believe you drank from his face. I would’ve thrown up.” Despite this, Alesha defended the American act, insisting: “I found that fantastic to watch. It’s entertaining. It’s funny. And I do think all our kids will love that.”
This year’s show features some brilliant solo singers including Scottish bingo-caller Vinnie, chicken-shop Stacey who works on a supermarket cooked poultry counter and Linda from Zimbabwe. Simon said: “Some of those singers, they’re a bit shaky at the beginning. And then you see the audience are rooting for them and it gives them that boost. And when that moment happens and it works it’s amazing. Still to this day I love it. Those clips really reminded me of when we first started making the show, whether it was Paul Potts or Susan Boyle – it’s that moment when you can just feel everyone is involved and they like it and it’s going to change that person’s life.”
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Amanda agreed that over the 18 years, Simon had changed but was regaining some of his Mr Nasty persona. “He did go soft for a bit, but I feel like he’s coming back now.” The series also has several choirs, including a very special one made up of entirely of sub post masters caught up in the huge scandal, brought to life last year in the ITV drama Mr Bates Vs the Post Office. The choir formed because they wanted to do something positive to redress the negativity brought on by the scandal. Simon declared: “I will never buy a stamp again – I really won’t. I watched Mr. Bates – it was probably the most powerful piece of TV drama I’ve ever seen in my life. They were treated in the most disgusting way. They were bullied. So when I actually saw them, I was actually quite starstruck and it was a really, really powerful moment. I think it will remind people at home that it’s not finished yet – what happened to them is still going on. And they were really good.”
Other top moments in the series, which has a record number of golden buzzers, are a pole-dancing seagull and comedian Will Burns, from Leeds, who does impressions of TV stars including presenters Ant and Dec – from their Byker Grove days. Influencer KSI, 31, said he’d loved being a guest judge while standing in for Bruno Tonioli, 69, when he had a filming clash, and for Simon when he took time off after Liam Payne’s death. “There’s one moment which I know is going to come out and it’s going to go viral and I’m going to hate it,” KSI laughed. “It’s very good. And you’re going to enjoy it. But I hate it. I hate it a lot.”He was impressed by one guy from the audience who begged for an audition – and got his way. “I won’t spoil it, but let’s just say it was out of this world for sure.”
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The judges said Blackpool was the rowdiest audience they’d ever encountered – with Bruno saying the noise made his ears bleed. There were also some strange characters in the theatre, including one woman who flicked the Vs at Simon for an hour – and then demanded a selfie. “She was mental,” Bruno said. “We called security.” But Simon loved the atmosphere and says they will now make Blackpool BGT’s permanent home. “A million per cent. It was amazing. I’d like to go back there every year – you wouldn’t have got that off a London audience.”
*Britain’s Got Talent airs on ITV on Saturday 22nd February at 7pm.
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Ken Griffin plans to build the most expensive home on Earth — a $1B mega-estate
Palm Beach, Florida, a playground for the rich and famous, is no stranger to opulence.
But it seems that billionaire hedge-fund manager Ken Griffin is taking luxury living to a whole new level.
Griffin, already a prominent figure in the seaside town and a Florida native, is turning heads with his ambitious plans to create the most expensive home not just in America — but on the planet.
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The enigmatic financier, known for his vast wealth and astute investments as founder and CEO of the once Chicago-based Citadel, now Miami, has made headlines by acquiring more than 20 acres of prime Palm Beach real estate.
What’s even more astounding is that Griffin, 55, has obliterated the existing homes on this sprawling property, with intentions to spend between a staggering $150 to $400 million on constructing a mega-estate that will be worth an estimated $1 billion upon completion.
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Griffin, who knows the wealthy enclave of Palm Beach intimately, is no stranger to grandeur.
Over the years, he has already assembled approximately 27 acres of beachfront real estate, which includes a couple of parcels on the Intracoastal Waterway.
This colossal property is situated just a quarter mile south of former President Donald Trump’s Mar-a-Lago, a stretch of South Ocean Boulevard renowned among locals as “Billionaires’ Row.”
Records indicate that Griffin has earmarked hundreds of millions for the construction of his mammoth mansion, expected to be worth that sky-high sum, according to industry insiders.
As one industry insider pointed out, “If he spent nearly half a billion to buy up acres of land in Palm Beach over the last decade and is expected to spend $150 million more to build an entirely new home, that piece of property is worth at least $1 billion now.”
When reached for comment about Griffin now owning the most valuable home in America, a spokesperson for Griffin cited Florida’s policies that have skyrocketed the values of properties in the area.
“The vast majority of the properties Ken owns are in South Florida. Palm Beach real estate is among the most valuable in the world because of the pro-growth and pro-business policies voted for by the citizens of Florida,” Zia Ahmed, a spokesperson for Griffin, said.
Griffin unveiled part of his grand vision for a beachfront mansion, which is to be built on a 7½-acre portion of his sprawling ocean-to-lake estate.
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With an impressive 50,000 total square feet, including the service basement, the contemporary-style house and guesthouse will be a testament to extravagant living.
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This estate’s acreage marks the largest of its kind in Palm Beach, beating out Trump’s Mar-a-Lago estate, which is on almost 20 acres.
Griffin initiated the acquisition of this property 10 years ago, investing no less than $450 million in real estate, fees and tear downs, according to records.
Sources familiar with the project reveal that the residence, on Blossom Way, will initially be used by Griffin’s mother, Catherine Gratz Griffin.
The billionaire has even grander designs in the works, as he plans to utilize the entire estate as his retirement home in the future.
In May, Griffin filed an agreement with the county to consolidate all parcels on Blossom Way with his Ocean Boulevard properties, effectively creating a single vast estate, records obtained by The Post show.
The Architectural Board granted approval for a long-and-lean house on the north side of his Billionaires’ Row estate in June 2022.
This estate will occupy approximately 8 of the 27 acres Griffin and his companies own off South Ocean Boulevard.
Meanwhile, while renderings of the northern property have been revealed, an application for a property in the southern part of the compound was recently submitted for approval, documents obtained by The Post show.
Construction machinery is already visible at the far end of the lot, once home to several mansions and now part of Griffin’s estate.
Renderings offer a glimpse into the lavish design, featuring an upper event lawn leading to a magnificent swimming pool with windows on both sides that frame mesmerizing views of the Atlantic Ocean.
The grand swimming pool will stretch from the residence to a vast lawn, creating a serene and picturesque oasis.
The estate will also feature several meticulously landscaped gardens.
Another rendering reveals a caretaker’s cottage.
Griffin’s journey in assembling this opulent oasis was made possible with the assistance of his longtime real estate broker, Lawrence Moens of Lawrence A. Moens Associates.
The saga began in December 2012 when Griffin, through two separate shell companies, acquired four adjacent properties totaling 8 acres on Blossom Way in the Blossom Estate subdivision for a recorded $129.6 million, giving him an astounding 560 feet of oceanfront.
Today, Griffin, worth an estimated $34.2 billion, now owns a string of properties along Blossom Way, which once held addresses 10 Blossom Way, 20 Blossom Way, 30 Blossom Way, 40 Blossom Way, 50 Blossom Way, and 70 Blossom Way.
In the summer of 2015, a Griffin-controlled company made another remarkable acquisition, purchasing that non-waterfront house and guesthouse at 70 Blossom Way for $15.25 million, which added 1.44 acres to his already vast holdings.
January 2017 witnessed yet another jaw-dropping deal when a Griffin-controlled company forked out a colossal $85 million for an oceanfront mansion at 1290 S. Ocean Blvd., just south of his other estate.
This purchase expanded his property to 12 contiguous acres, boasting a cool 871 feet of oceanfront.
However, Griffin’s ever-evolving plans didn’t stop there. By the spring of 2018, a transaction shrouded in secrecy added the first lakefront property, boasting 2 acres and 193 feet on the Intracoastal Waterway, to his estate.
Although the exact price remains undisclosed, industry observers estimated that this acquisition cost him as much as $20 million
In September 2019, a company linked to Griffin paid $99.13 million for the mansion at 60 Blossom Way, which has since been razed to make way for the new mansion and guesthouse.
Those will boast stone exteriors, and modern, sleek lines.
In late June 2019, a Griffin-linked company paid $104.99 million, briefly setting a Palm Beach sales price record, for an ocean-to-lake estate at 1295 S. Ocean Blvd.
This significant acquisition, made just after the death of investment bank heiress and Broadway producer Terry Allen Kramer, added around 4.5 acres to Griffin’s massive Palm Beach property.
The summer of 2022 saw the town grant Griffin permission to build an oceanfront mansion designed for his mother, family members, and guests on approximately 8 acres at the northern end of his property.
The rest of his estate remains undeveloped, leaving ample room for future expansions and innovations.
It’s worth noting that despite the magnitude of his Palm Beach holdings, Griffin has confirmed that he has relocated his family to Miami after moving his company from Chicago to the Magic City last year.
