‘LOSING PUDSEY MADE ME REALISE LIFE IS SHORT’
The Britain’s Got Talent winner is making the most of her opportunities, whether it is appearing in panto with a new four-legged sidekick or volunteering in Africa
ASHLEIGH BUTLER left fans heartbroken in July when she announced that her canine sidekick Pudsey had been put to sleep after suffering from leukaemia. The pair shot to fame when they won Britain’s Got Talent in 2012, during which their routine to the theme tune from The Flintstones had judges Simon Cowell, David Walliams and Alesha Dixon on their feet.
Now, five months on from his death, Ashleigh’s back on stage starring in Jack And The Beanstalk in High Wycombe with her new performing partner Sully who bears a striking resemblance to Pudsey.
Although she has had four-yearold Sully since he was a puppy she only debuted him on the red carpet at the Animal Hero Awards in London in September. For a while she even considered changing his name to Pudsey before deciding against it.
Her original partner in crime is never far from her mind. “It’s particularly hard at this time of year, especially because last Christmas I was doing the same panto with Pudsey in Northampton, my hometown,” says the 22-year-old. “It’s the little things that get to me like when someone calls Pudsey’s name instead of Sully’s.
“Also it would have been Pudsey’s 12th birthday on December 28 so that is going to be tough for me. Last year we had a big birthday party for him backstage but at least I’ll be performing on what would have been his big day so I’ll be busy.”
Ashleigh admits there is a long list of things she misses about the dog she received on her 11th birthday as a present from her parents Ian and Penny when he was just a puppy, including his easy nature which is in stark contrast to Sully.
“Pudsey was chilled out and whenever he wasn’t working or doing agility he would be sleeping, eating or following me around. If I sat down to watch TV he would calmly sit next to me whereas Sully wants to sit on top of me! He never stops. He leaps up all eager to know what is happening.
“I could take Pudsey anywhere and in the working industry he was a true professional. Sully is also incredible but very different. He was bred by a friend of the family and I have had him since he was nine weeks old but even though he is four years old now sometimes he acts more like four months old. He is quite immature.”
MANY would argue that they sound like the perfect personality traits for a panto pooch and Ashleigh admits that Sully already has legions of fans of all ages. She adds: “He is a bit crazy, a bit full on sometimes but he is also the dog that everyone loves.
“When Pudsey and I were doing panto last year Sully had a cameo role and it was actually him that everyone fell in love with. Pudsey was very much a one-person dog and only had eyes for me, nobody else. Whereas if someone gives Sully a toy he’s like, ‘Oh, OK, I really like you!’
“Despite their different personalities he and Pudsey were very close. When Pudsey died Sully definitely noticed that he was not around any more.”
Unbeknown to many of their fans Ashleigh had already decided that the panto last Christmas would be Pudsey’s final curtain call and was quietly lining up Sully to be his replacement on stage and screen. She just had not banked on how events would play out during the summer.
“I wanted Pudsey to have a retirement and just be an old man and sleep and eat and get fat while Sully took over from him performing with me,” she reflects. “I didn’t for one minute think that he would get ill and die.”
Despite their wildly different personalities Ashleigh says Pudsey’s legacy lives on in his playmate. “Pudsey actually taught Sully to beg with his paw when he was only a puppy,” Ashleigh recalls, adding that despite his wayward temperament Sully is “exceptionally clever”.
“I was doing some tricks with Pudsey one day and all of a sudden Sully looked at Pudsey doing a beg with his paw and immediately copied him. I have never known a dog to do that, ever.”
But you won’t see Sully begging for bones or biscuits any time soon as unusually for a dog his favourite treats are carrots and bread. And he doesn’t even eat meat.
Although he is busy winning hearts in Jack And The Beanstalk alongside Ashleigh he has got a fair way to go before he achieves the same level of stardom as Pudsey. The late dog starred in his own movie, flew on Simon Cowell’s private jet to appear on America’s Got Talent, met the Queen at the 2012 Royal Variety Performance and even had his own autobiography published.
For now though, Sully’s content with wowing his panto audiences. “It is his first time performing on his own as a main character so it has all been a bit scary,” laughs Ashleigh, who plays the part of Princess Apricot.
Like all dogs the secret to getting him to do his canine trickery is food and toys. “The trouble is he is a bit more obsessed with toys so if I use them as rewards when I’m training freestyle his brain goes crazy and he can’t concentrate. So when I’m doing tricks or anything on stage I always use food treats instead in an effort to keep him calm.”
PERHAPS that is why when panto finishes next weekend Ashleigh will leave Sully at home for a few weeks in January while she goes to South Africa to volunteer – something that has been on her wish list for a few years.
“Although I’m only 22 losing Pudsey this year made me realise that life really is too short and that if there are things I want to do I have to go out there and make them happen,” she says. “I really just want to enjoy myself as much as possible.”
When she returns from South Africa she and Sully will reunite to appear in a charity concert in Liverpool alongside other former BGT winners and contestants. They are also set to star in a UK tour of Alice In Wonderland.
“I think it will do us good to have a few weeks apart in January,” Ashleigh concludes. “I often tell people that if Sully was a child he would be the crazy kid that you love the most and who has most character but that you are really happy to give back to someone else.
“But obviously he lives with me at home in Northampton so it will be nice to let one of my friends deal with his craziness while I take a short break.”
Jack And The Beanstalk runs until December 31 at the Wycombe Swan Theatre in High Wycombe. Visit wycombeswan.co.uk