BGT's Amanda Holden apologises as she breaks major show 'rule' (2025)

Britain's Got Talent judge Amanda Holden was quick to apologise after she broke a rule during the final round of auditions on the ITV show.

Britain's Got Talent's very own Amanda Holden confessed she was expecting a bit of a telling off during the auditions' grand finale.

In an unexpected twist on Saturday night's episode, one eager chap from the audience seized his moment to take to the stage.

Bellowing at the notoriously hard-to-impress Simon Cowell, he loudly declared: "19 years I've tried to get in front of you, and I've never had that chance. Can you give me one opportunity? I can show you what I've got."

As Simon pondered whether this was a genuine plea or just a prank, he beckoned the hopeful forward, trying to suss out if this was a 'wind up'. But it was no joke – the man, going by the name Max Fox, a local singer, assured Simon and the crowd of his sincerity.

Facing equally puzzled looks from his fellow judges, KSI couldn't hide his surprise, admitting: "I've never seen this before!"

With Max sharing that he felt this might be his final shot, Simon gave him the green light to go for it.

Max’s spur-of-the-moment pitch seemed to catch the BGT bosses off guard; they scrambled to confirm Max's identity, cue up his music, and shuffle him into the day's final slot, reports Express.

When Max finally strode onto the BGT stage, he revealed his long-standing mission to perform in front of Simon Cowell, saying: "I've been in Manchester in the football stadiums where you hold your big auditions and I've never been able to!

"Luckily, I was 10ft away from you sat here, I don't know how I managed to get that seat and I just thought it was worth a chance to ask you."

Max made it clear to Simon that this wasn't a pre-arranged act as he belted out a stirring version of Frank Sinatra's My Way. Upon completion, the audience burst into thunderous applause, eagerly telling him he deserved the Golden Buzzer.

Simon exclaimed: "No one is going to believe this wasn't set up! It was actually very emotional." Without any second thoughts, Amanda hit the golden buzzer.

With her hands covering her mouth, she turned to her fellow judges and apologised: "Sorry, sorry, sorry!"

She explained to the panel that she pressed it on behalf of the enthusiastic audience before walking on stage to embrace Max warmly.

Settling back into her seat, she confessed: "I'm just going to say, I've already pressed my golden buzzer, so I'm in a lot of trouble because that's my second golden buzzer!"

Overjoyed by the judges' reaction, Max couldn't contain his excitement, stating: "I just can't believe it! It's the greatest day of my life."

The upcoming weekend signals the beginning of the live semi-finals which are adopting a new format this year. Traditionally, these rounds take place nightly over a single week leading up to the live final.

This time, however, they're spread across five weeks starting from April 26. Another twist for this series involves the Golden Buzzer, typically a staple in the auditions but not the semi-finals.

Revealing the changes on Good Morning Britain, showbiz correspondent Richard Arnold stated: "This year, one judge or Ant and Dec will be allowed to use the golden buzzer in the semi-finals as well.It'll give their chosen act a spot in the grand finale in May. The other acts will then face the public vote as usual."

Britain's Got Talent is available to watch on ITVX.