‘IT’S LIKE GETTING THE FAMILY BACK TOGETHER – IT JUST FEELS RIGHT’
ALESHA DIXON TALKS ABOUT WHAT IT’S LIKE TO HAVE ANT MCPARTLIN RETURN TO ‘BRITAIN’S GOT TALENT’, WHO SHE HOPES WILL WIN THIS YEAR’S SHOW AND WHERE SHE FEELS MOST ‘ALIVE’
Alesha Dixon is back with her fellow judges, ready to be entertained and rendered rather emotional by the latest auditionees. Alesha, 40, is also thrilled to have Ant Mcpartlin back in the fold. ‘Everyone’s happy and back to our naughty selves. There’s a lot of love,’ she says, adding: ‘You’re not just doing your job, you care about each other’s wellbeing.’
This year viewers are promised an unusual harpist, a mind-reading dog and one of the most dangerous acts to date. It’s no wonder the singer hints: ‘We’re in for a treat this year!’
Mum to five-year-old daughter Azura with partner Azuka Ononye, she knows a thing or two about talent of course, having found fame with R&B trio Mis-teeq, written children’s books, hosted various TV shows and been a judge on Strictly Come Dancing after winning.
Here, Alesha reveals what gives her a ‘rush’, the secret to Ant and Dec’s success and why she’s glad Simon’s always late…
Welcome back! Is it nice having Ant back on the team? It’s like getting the family back together, it just feels normal. We’ve been working together for so long now that when we’re together it just feels right.
Ant and Dec are celebrating 30 years working together this year. What’s the key to their success?
I think it’s because they have a genuine friendship and they’re exactly the same off camera as they are on camera. They won at the National Television Awards again this year and I think they’re always going to dominate things like that. The longer they’re together the more respect people have for them and the more people love them. So I can’t see that wavering any time soon.
When you wake up on audition day for BGT, what’s the first thing that goes through your mind? I wonder what time Simon is going to arrive today and how much time I’m going to sit around waiting for him! Actually we’ve accepted that he starts work so much later than the rest of us because it means we get more of a lie in and Amanda and I have more time with our glam squads! So it’s fine.
Have you been impressed by the standard of the talent this year? Yeah, when we finished the London auditions Amanda and I said to each other that we feel like we’ve got the show. We’ve never felt like that half way through. When we told Simon he was like: ‘Don’t jinx it!.’ We’ve made it harder for ourselves, though, because we’ve said yes to a lot of people.
Do you have an idea of what kind of act might win?
I do believe that this year it’s time for a singer to win. We presume that singers are for The X Factor, but a traditional singer would be good. We got our wish last year with a comic winning. This year it could be something we’ve never seen before, but they’ll need to be outstanding.
Have you found any good dancers? We’ve got to a point with dancers now that unless they’re brilliant we get a bit bored, it’s stuff we’ve seen before. As a fan of dance that can be frustrating.
What are you looking forward to on the live shows?
I feel like we’re in for a treat this year, we’re in for the best show! I’m so glad we’re back at the Apollo theatre, everyone was complaining last year because we couldn’t all fit backstage. But it was worth it because the atmosphere in the theatre compared to a studio is next level. It took it up a notch. Simon made the right call on that. Sometimes he’s right, which is annoying!
How would you describe the feeling of performing on stage?
It’s a feeling of freedom – it’s when I feel most myself. I feel most alive and in the moment on stage. The connection you can make with an audience, especially when you’re aware that you’re making people feel good, there’s no better feeling. It’s a rush. It’s hard to match that, so some things aren’t as satisfying to you because you know how you can feel on stage doing something that you love.
‘i feel most alive and in the moment on stage’