ITV Britain's Got Talent's Alesha Dixon breaks silence on 'horrific' act

Britain's Got Talent judge Alesha Dixon has addressed the show's contentious act with a concise statement.

Alesha joined the panel on ITV's Loose Women this Monday (February 24) to chat about the new series of the popular talent competition. The conversation quickly shifted to the weekend's performance by professional sword swallower Auzzy Blood, which left viewers aghast with its extreme nature.

The judges squirmed as Auzzy drove a twisted metal spike through his nose and out of his mouth, chuckling upon completing the stunt. He proceeded to insert a plastic tube through his nose, inviting Simon Cowell to take a sip.

For his grand finale, Auzzy attached himself to a rope via his mouth and nose and ascended towards the ceiling.

Alesha was visibly shaken by the act, promptly hitting her buzzer and averting her gaze in shock. However, her fellow judges commended the "horrifically brilliant" performance, reports the Daily Record.

Confronted with questions about the act on Loose Women, Alesha admitted she found it "difficult" to witness firsthand, before conceding with a three-word acknowledgement: "I get it."

"I find those kinds of acts quite fascinating because they're like Marmite - you either love them or hate them. I struggle to watch them, but when I replayed it with my family, I couldn't stop laughing. It was hilarious, especially seeing everyone else's reactions. That's the entertaining part," she elaborated.

Ruth Langsford remarked on the tension of first-time viewings: "Yeah, you know when you're watching back that nothing awful happened, but when you're watching it for the first time, you don't know."

Upon reflecting on her own experience, Alesha admitted: "Oh, I found it difficult, definitely... After I watched it at the launch, I did say to the producer, I was like, 'I get it,' because it's so funny. We do like these controversial acts that are a bit entertaining, a bit out there.

"Some people are gonna love it, some people are not, but that's the show. There will be something on there for everyone, whatever your taste is, whatever you like, there will be a contestant that ticks your box."

Despite encountering varied opinions, Simon Cowell had previously braced for criticism regarding the particularly grisly act, acknowledging: "It's spooky horror where you don't want to watch it, but you do want to watch it. That's obviously why we're going to show it. We will probably get some complaints. Hopefully."

Simon stood by the decision to air the performance even before 9pm, believing it was suitable for younger viewers despite its jarring content.

Britain's Got Talent is available to stream on ITVX