Simon Cowell enjoyed some banter with Alison Hammond and Dermot O’Leary on This Morning after they suggested that Alison would make the perfect "extra judge" amid reports that David Walliams was leaving the show. The TV personality and children’s author found himself at the centre of controversy after he was found to have made controversial comments about two contestants in recently leaked transcripts.
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Chatting to Simon on This Morning, Dermot said: "Talking BGT, if you need an extra judge, I couldn't endorse her more. This one would literally bring the house down in the Palladium."
WATCH: Alison Hammond wants to be a BGT judge
Alison joked, asking Simon: "What do you think Si? Take it to deadlock, take it to deadlock!" He told Dermot: "We’ve had this conversation before. I love Alison, you know that," to which Alison joked: "Yeah you just won't give me a job."
Simon joked about giving Alison the role of a judge on BGT
David’s comments, which were made back in 2020 at the London Palladium, revealed that he had called one contestant an expletive, and said of another: "She's like the slightly boring girl you meet in the pub that thinks you want to [expletive] them, but you don’t… It's the last thing on your mind, but she's like: 'Yep, I bet you do! No I don't! I had a bit of a [expletive], but now it's going, it's now shrivelled up inside my body."
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In a statement, David said: "These were private conversations and – like most conversations with friends – were never intended to be shared. Nevertheless, I am sorry."
A spokesperson for ThamesTV added: "Although relating to a private conversation almost three years ago, the language used was inappropriate. Even though it was private, those involved have been spoken to and reminded of their responsibilities and the show’s expectations as to future professional conduct."
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