Ashley Banjo will be stepping in for Simon Cowell on Britain’s Got Talent as the music mogul recovers from back surgery.
However, while the regular Mr Nasty is taking a break from the spotlight, it turns out the Diversity dancer won’t be going easy on this year’s contestants.
Ahead of the semi-finals, the 31-year-old has promised to be ‘tough on everyone’ – and dare we say we’re a little bit excited for that?
‘I’ll be tough on everyone,’ he exclaimed. ‘I won’t be Mr. Mean, just Mr. Honest. With a show like BGT there’s no mucking about. It’s not a celeb-based show, it’s not like everyone’s there just for entertainment, this is life changing stuff.
‘I’m going to be sitting there questioning what they are doing, why would you use your two minutes to show the world what they can do and then do that?
‘If that’s how I feel, then I’ll say it!’
We’ve already seen how strict he can be on Dancing On Ice, so we’re expecting nothing less of the star.
Ashley then turned his attention to replacing Simon, and how no one can actually step into the 60-year-old’s shoes.
‘Do you know what? That’s the thing, if I was stepping in for any of the other judges then I’d feel that way, I’d feel nervous about it being big shoes to fill,’ he pressed.
‘But with Simon his shoes are well and truly on, no one can ever replace him or fill his shoes. I just feel like I am doing a job for him because Simon can never be replaced in that way.
‘I’m just an addition to the panel, that’s the way I see it. It actually makes me less nervous, the fact I’m stepping in for Simon.’
The professional dancer stressed how Simon’s chair brings a level of respect with it, making him feel as though he needs to know what he is talking about.
‘There’s no one more qualified than Simon when it comes to judging variety acts, and if you’re going to sit on that panel you better have some decent qualifications,’ Ashley sad.
‘But I think in terms of the niche of BGT I am a weirdly qualified person purely because of my journey on the show.’
Ashley won the show back in 2009 with his dancing troupe – seeing them pip Susan Boyle to the post. They have since return to the show on a number of occasions to perform.
Britain’s Got Talent continues September 5 at 8pm on ITV.
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