Damon Scott

He appeared on the show 11 years ago with a comedy act and came second, losing out to Paul Potts.

Afterwards he had a high-profile romance with Strictly Come Dancing judge Craig Revel Horwood before things turned sour and they split in 2016.

Damon, who lives in Salisbury, Wilts, says: “We’re not in touch any more. But I wouldn’t have been with someone for so long if it really was as hideous as people thought it was.”

He and his monkey puppet are still going strong. “It feels like yesterday in some respects but also so long ago,” he says. “I’d been full time doing my comedy act since I was 17 but BGT raised the bar.”

But his new passion is campaigning for a different type of animal – dogs. Supporting the Mirror’s Lucy’s Law campaign, which calls for an immediate ban on the sale of puppies by pet shops and puppy farms, he says: “When I got with Craig, he met my dogs and loved them. I used his profile to push the puppy farming issue. “We are supposed to be one of the top nations in the world for dog lovers but we still have nothing in place for safeguarding against puppy farms, it is disgusting.” Find him at www.damonscott.co.uk