Bella: ‘I ate Twiglets from Simon’s kitchen cupboard’
We get the Judges’ Houses goss (and snacks lowdown) from Bella Penfold, 19
Congrats on getting through to the live shows! How are you feeling?
I’m feeling absolutely incredible. I’m just overwhelmed with happiness, so many emotions.
What was your first impression of Simon’s house when you arrived in LA?
It was really weird, because you don’t ever think you’ll see these things in real life. When I look at him, I put a box around his head, like he’s still on the TV – I visualise it like he’s on the TV. It’s really strange.
What did you think when you saw Leona Lewis?
Wow, Leona is like a goddess, she looks beautiful. She’s stunning. When we first saw her, we were like, “Errrrrr!” And she’s just got the loveliest personality to go with it. She came and spoke to us and gave us a little girls’ pep talk. It was definitely needed with all the stress and the pressure, so it was nice to come up and say good luck, well done and stuff.
Did you do any snooping around Si’s house?
Yeah! After [my performance], I was really hungry, so I went into Simon Cowell’s kitchen with his girlfriend [Lauren Silverman], and I was eating Simon Cowell’s Twiglets. They were the nicest Twiglets I’ve ever eaten – I think it was because they were out of Simon’s cupboard. But it was mad. [Lauren] was so normal. She was like, “Girls, I’ve just got to take my shoes off cos my feet are f**king hurting.” She just wanted to feed me. She was really motherly.
Have you thought about getting all the way to the final?
I’ve definitely thought about it. Because, as much as there’s so many talented people, you’ve got to believe in yourself and believe that you could do it. I think it’s all about your mindset being positive.
Who would you want to duet with if you make it there?
Stormzy. I’d really like to do
Blinded By Grace with him. He was the one that got me to Judges’ Houses – it was the perfect song for me.