Longtime Britain’s Got Talent judge Amanda Holden recently opened up about her experience taking on the role of head judge when Simon Cowell had to miss some of this year’s competition. Holden said she “hated” taking Cowell’s seat at the end of the panel.
Amanda Holden ‘Hated’ Head Judge Role on BGT
According to The Mirror, judge Simon Cowell had to miss the first two days of filming on Series 19 after falling down steps and hitting his head. While he was away, guest judge Stacey Solomon joined the panel, and Amanda Holden took on the role of head judge.
“I must admit I hated sitting in that seat,” Holden told the outlet. “I’ve been on the show the longest, so I understand why I probably need to sit in that seat, but when I was there, I felt very outcast on the end.”
Holden explained that her team “all decided to eat my snacks and sit in the dressing room paying no attention to the show or me whatsoever.” This was in contrast to Cowell, who apparently has “dozens of staff and family watching from the side and communicating with him.”
“Simon said to me, ‘You must have loved it. Did you feel powerful?’” Holden recalled. “I said I hated it because I had to keep leaning in to be part of the conversation. I never want to sit in that seat again! I’m juicy in the middle, it’s such a good spot.”
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Holden Praises Guest Judge Stacey Solomon
During Cowell’s absence in Series 19, Stacey Solomon sat on the panel as a guest judge, alongside Holden, Alesha Dixon, and KSI. Solomon is a TV personality and singer who finished third place on The X Factor in 2009. She later won I’m a Celebrity… Get Me Out of Here!
“She’s so lovely and I think we’ve got quite a similar style of judging,” Amanda told The Mirror of Solomon’s time on the BGT panel. “She’s warm, she’s super funny, she has a great understanding of what it’s like to be on the other side, because she obviously auditioned for The X Factor all those years ago.”
Britain’s Got Talent Series 19 will premiere in the UK this Saturday, February 21, at 7 p.m. on ITV1, ITVX, and STV.
