‘I am the organiser of the most inclusive, supportive marathon in the world'
Mr Roberton said he has asked participants to send over any images of loved ones who have or have had cancer, or passed away, which he will display on a screen at the Broadway Cinema pre-race, and his wife is to sing the song The Impossible Dream to 'get the emotion going'.
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Scottish Sun
7 days ago
- Scottish Sun
BGT's most shocking final moments ever from gruesome mid-air disaster to dog owner pelted with DEATH threats after win
AFTER a mammoth five weeks of semi-finals, the Britain's Got Talent final is finally here. Tonight's supersized show - which runs for two hours and 45 minutes - will see the finalists battling it out for a chance to perform at The Royal Variety Show and a £250,000 cash prize. 13 The Blackouts also got through the first semi-final Credit: Tom Dymond 13 Judge Simon Cowell was pelted with eggs during the 2013 final Credit: ITV 13 The protest was planned by Natalie Holt Credit: Rex Features Comedian Joseph Charm and singers Jasmine Rice and Stacey Leadbetter are up against nine-year-old dancer Benita Chetry, Other acts include, Ping Pong Pang, who combine table tennis skills with dance, and the Hear Our Voice choir, which is made up of 39 people who have been impacted by the Post Office scandal. As well as creating stars like Susan Boyle and Diversity, the show's final has had its own fair share of controversies over the years. We take a look back at all of the biggest controversies that plagued the show's finale and proved you really do have to go big or go home. Egg throwing Singing duo Richard and Adam were in the middle of their moving rendition of The Impossible Dream during the series seven final, when one of their supporting musicians rushed to the front of the stage to pelt Simon Cowell with eggs. Natalie Holt was escorted from the stage by security, and later admitted she had planned to launch her protest against the music mogul after they finished their performance. She apologised profusely for spoiling their big moment but she had no such remorse for Simon, telling the Guardian that she had pelted him because he has too much power and influence in the entertainment industry. She also revealed she had been asked to mime during the performance which made it easy for her to put down her violin to pull the organic eggs from her tights. But she thanked Simon for not pressing charges. She added: 'As an act of goodwill I would also be happy to offer to pay for his dry cleaning bill or buy him a new shirt, maybe with a few more buttons at the top.' Doggy double Britain's Got Talent branded a 'fix' by fuming viewers after 'wrong act' gets through to finals 13 2015 Britain's Got Talent finalist Jules O'Dwyer and Matisse Credit: Splash News 13 A different dog was used for part of the final act Credit: PA:Press Association Outraged viewers felt cheated when it transpired that they had been misled by winner of series nine, Jules O'Dwyer, about her dancing dog Matisse. The winning performance included a tightrope walk but it was revealed the next day that a different dog stepped in for that part of the act. Jules defended her decision to employ a stand in, stating that the real Matisse was afraid of heights. Ofcom received hundreds of complaints over the 2015 incident, with people even sending death threats to the pair. It was ruled that ITV had misled the public - though Jules was not stripped of her £250,00 prize money. Shock injury 13 The team members collided in mid-air during a stunt Credit: Rex 13 The South Korean group lost out to singer Sydnie Christmas in the 2024 final Credit: Rex Performance troupe Ssaulabi were midway through their stunt-filled routine when two of its members collided mid-air, with horrific consequences. One teammate fell to the stage and landed awkwardly on his foot, before trying to stand up and collapsing. Judge Alesha Dixon recoiled in horror as the performer was forced to crawl off the stage in agony. It was later revealed he had broken his foot. A BGT statement issued the following morning read: "During last night's live final, a member of Ssaulabi Performance Troupe was injured. "He was quickly seen by our onsite medical team before going to hospital for further treatment. All at BGT wish him a speedy recovery.'" Fix claims 13 Kojo Anim was in the 2020 BGT final Credit: Rex Features 13 Alesha was accused of voting for Kojo because he was her friend When comedian Kojo Anim was voted through to the final in 2020, judge Alesha Dixon was accused of voting for him because they are good friends. Alesha reportedly knew Kojo through her husband, dancer Azuka Ononye, and she toldher fellow judges and the audience: 'I have known Kojo for many, many years.' The Mis-teeq singer was also accused of favouritism when she sent contestant Lifford Shillingford through to the final with her golden buzzer. It later emerged Alesha already knew Lifford from back in the day when he'd supported Mis-teeq on tour. Alesha hit back though and said: "He's not a friend. That sounds cold, but I don't have his phone number. "I haven't seen him in years. When I say I know him, I know his music. I remember him from back in the day. There were shows that Mis-Teeq were doing that he was too. There was just a mutual respect and understanding between us." Anonymous blog 13 An anonymous blog claimed the star knew Simon Cowell before the show Credit: ITV 13 Ronan Parke performed on the show in 2011 Credit: ITV Back in 2011, an anonymous blogger accused child star Ronan Parke of having connections to show boss Simon Cowell before appearing for the show. Ronan was the runner-up after losing out to Scottish singer Jai McDowall in the final. The blogger claimed to be an anonymous Sony Music source who said that no act had won the show who hadn't been an "invited or preferred" contestant. And they claimed that Simon had known Ronan for two years and that the youngster had signed a deal with his record label. After being questioned by police, the blogger apologised and admitted having no connection to Cowell, Syco or Ronan. A spokeswoman for Sony Music said at the time: "A man has now admitted responsibility for the wholly untrue blogs relating to Ronan Parke and the false allegations against Britain's Got Talent, Sony Music and Syco. He has admitted he has absolutely no connection with Ronan Parke, Sony Music, Syco, or Britain's Got Talent.' Nepo baby claims 13 BGT bosses defended Issy after Nepo baby hate Credit: PA:Press Association 13 Issy Simpson during the audition stage for ITV1's talent show Credit: PA:Press Association In 2017, eight-year-old Issy Simpson won her place in the final after stunning the audience and judges by reading Simon Cowell's mind. But her joy at making it to the final was tarnished after it was revealed that her grandad was well known in the magic world and was the main magic man behind the scenes for BGT. BGT bosses defended Issy and said she had won her spot fair and square saying: 'Russ Stevens (Issy's grandad) is a magic expert, who was used as a freelance magic consultant for two shows only in 2014. He has not been contracted since. 'Issy went through the same process as any other act and was judged on her performance on the day.'
Evening Standard
25-04-2025
- Evening Standard
‘I am the organiser of the most inclusive, supportive marathon in the world'
Mr Roberton said he has asked participants to send over any images of loved ones who have or have had cancer, or passed away, which he will display on a screen at the Broadway Cinema pre-race, and his wife is to sing the song The Impossible Dream to 'get the emotion going'.
The Independent
03-03-2025
- The Independent
Tears flow at a poignant figure skating event in Washington benefiting victims of the DC plane crash
Maxim Naumov wept on his knees at the end of his performance honoring his parents, wiped away tears as he skated off the ice and held an electric candle in the air as applause rained down. Amber Glenn broke down when she finished skating, and so did 13-year-old Isabella Aparicio, who was performing in memory of her brother, Franco, and their father Luciano. 'There was not a dry eye to be found anywhere,' pairs skater Madison Chock said. A low murmur of crying pierced a lengthy moment of silence as fans lit the arena with their cellphones, riding waves of emotion through a poignant figure skating show Sunday in the nation's capital to remember and raise money for the victims of the midair collision outside Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport. The Legacy on Ice benefit event featured a star-studded group of some of the best U.S. figure skaters of the past and present taking part to pay tribute to the 67 people who died when an Army helicopter collided with an American Airlines flight and crashed into the Potomac River on Jan. 29. That included 28 members of the figure skating community, some of whom lived and trained in the Washington area. 'Everyone grieves in their own way, and the last month has been really challenging for a lot of us to just grapple with the magnitude of this loss,' said Evan Bates, who with Chock won Olympic gold in Beijing in 2022. 'I think coming together today and doing something tangible like a show will give people, hopefully, a little glimmer of hope and a little light for that next step forward.' American icons of the sport Kristi Yamaguchi and Brian Boitano emceed the show, which included performances by the likes of Glenn, Johnny Weir and reigning men's world champion Ilia Malinin, along with poignant tributes to the victims. 'We are not powerless,' Boitano said in opening the show. 'As skaters, we learned to be resilient and to always find a path forward that is positive.' Ted Leonsis, head of Monumental Sports & Entertainment, which staged the event along with U.S. Figure Skating, DC Fire & EMS Foundation and the Greater Washington Community Foundation, hopes doing this at Capital One Arena helps families in the healing process the way concerts and sports at Madison Square Garden did in New York in 2001 after 9/11. 'Sports can play this convening and healing role,' Leonsis said. 'Our goal is to allow the community to heal, kind of a collective hug for these communities, but then we want to raise a lot of money." The dasher boards had 67 stars, one for each of the victims, and skaters put flowers on a rinkside table of candles before beginning their routines. 'We're all here to support one another, whether it was our friends that were on that plane, family members, coaches, teammates, loved ones,' said 2014 Olympic team bronze medalist Jason Brown, who skated to 'The Impossible Dream' by Josh Groban. 'We all travel for this sport. We get to do what we love. And travel is such a huge part of what we do, so it all hit us really hard because this is just such an integral part of what we do, as well as those are people that we're closest to.' Glenn kicked things off by performing to Andra Day's 'Rise Up' and broke down in tears at center ice when she finished. Weir, whose family moved to Newark, Delaware, when he was 12 for him to pursue his skating career, dedicated his performance to the members of the University of Delaware Figure Skating Club who were on American Flight 5342 from Wichita, Kansas, following a national development camp there coinciding with the U.S. Figure Skating Championships. 'It was a very traumatic experience for me and really just devastating for me to hear when all that happened, and I really wanted to have something that everyone could remember as a family, as a whole community that we remember them,' Malinin said. 'All of our daily lives, every time we step on the ice, we'll always think of them. Every time we're competing, they'll always be in our hearts.' Peggy Fleming, 1968 Olympic champion, said she hopes the event 'will heal and give strength to our skaters in the future.' Alysa Liu wants to try to honor the memory of those lost so she 'can keep going.' 'It's still a struggle and was a struggle,' said Liu, who performed to 'Hero' by Mariah Carey. 'Coming together and seeing everyone again has definitely been the most reassuring feeling. And it's just because everyone knows exactly how everyone feels." Forty-one years after winning gold at the Olympics, Scott Hamilton skated onto the ice and led a prayer. 'Imagine' blared from arena speakers during one ensemble performance, Malinin dazzled the crowd with his jump-filled routine and Lady Gaga's 'Hold My Hand' was the soundtrack of the grand finale of the emotional two-plus-hour show. 'It was just an amazing show,' U.S. Figure Skating interim CEO Sam Auxier said. "You could see even with Ilia the passion and the feelings about what happened coming through in their skating.' Among the sellout crowd of over 15,000 were hundreds of first responders and their family members. Some came from as far away as Baltimore to be part of the rescue and recovery efforts. 'This was an incredibly challenging scene for those first responders,' DC Fire and EMS Foundation executive director Amy Mauro said. 'The things that they witnessed are very difficult and will stay with them for a long time. This is part of their grieving and healing process, as well.' In addition to being a gathering place for figure skaters, first responders and all the families affected by the crash, the intent was to raise money for all of them. 'We've heard from the families about things like college tuition for young children who are in elementary school today but also things like therapy and health care that they need,' Monumental president of external affairs and chief administrative officer Monica Dixon said. 'Every family will choose how to use those funds in the best way that they choose.' The event aired live on Monumental Sports Network and streamed on Peacock. NBC will show an encore performance March 30. "That's what we're hoping: We raise a lot of donations that way," Leonsis said. 'People care. The lesson in this is that, to me, if you personalize something like this, you can come together and do the right things in the right way." ___
