Amanda Holden and Alesha Dixon burst into tears on Britain’s Got Talent after ‘amazing’ performance by 13-year-old magician
Britain’s Got Talent returned to screens with a bang on Saturday night when a magic act left judges Alesha Dixon and Amanda Holden in tears.
Cillian O’Connor, 13, completed a series of amazing tricks, including reading Simon’s mind.
The Irish schoolboy admitted that before turning to magic he struggled socially due to autism and that it had changed his confidence.
After receiving a standing ovation and later yes four times, he burst into tears and hugged his mother, leaving Amanda and Alesha emotional for a moment.
Amanda said, “You made a mess of me and Alesha. You are great.
Talented: Britain’s Got Talent judges were moved to tears after 13-year-old Cillian O’Connor’s magic act on Saturday’s show
Tears: After receiving a standing ovation and later four yeses, Cillian burst into tears, leaving Amanda and Alesha equally emotional
“Great showmanship, I’m glad magic has given you so much confidence, but most of all you’re a little superstar.”
Alesha added, “I loved everything about it and especially you, it’s clear how much this means to you, which makes it extra special.”
And Bruno said, ‘I was totally fascinated by what you do, which is an incredible quality for someone so young. You have a fantastic future ahead of you.’
Twitter was ablaze with impressed fans after the act, with one person writing, “That young magician is really good and I’ve been to a few Derren Brown shows. Seems like a nice guy too.’
Another added, “That autistic magician ruled the man.”
A third said, “As a person who has lived with autism all my life, I am extremely proud of your achievement as one of the greatest magicians I have ever seen on BGT to date.”
Elsewhere, a separate person said: ‘Absolutely brilliant, brought tears to my eyes.’
Equally impressed, viewers wrote, “Well done Cillian” and “Well done.”
Amazing: Twitter was ablaze with awed fans after the act, with one person writing, “That young magician is very, very good and I’ve been to a few Derren Brown shows
It comes after Simon revealed he was ‘not involved’ in David Walliams’ decision to leave the Britain’s Got Talent judging panel.
The TV mogul broke his silence on the comedian’s departure, admitting that he would “never approve” of his sexual comments towards other contestants, for which he apologized before leaving the show.
Simon added that despite being an executive producer and judge on the show, talks about David’s departure involved other producers who were more “hands-on.”
Speak against The sun, he said: ‘I was not really involved in the decision. From what I understand, he decided to step back.
“We said to the two producers, ‘You have to make the final decision,’ ‘because yes, I’m an executive producer, but they’re more hands-on.”
Breaking his silence: It comes after Simon revealed he was ‘not involved’ in David Walliams’ decision to leave the Britain’s Got Talent judging panel
Simon added that for much of his time at BGT, David was “very respectful and emotional” of other contestants.
But he continued, “We had a conversation. But you know, he acknowledged what he said, he wasn’t proud of what he said. This is not something I would ever approve of.’
The comments, made in January 2020 during auditions at the London Palladium, were picked up by the programme’s microphones and revealed in December 2022.
During the audition, an elderly performer engaged in banter with the judges in which he made a joke about Walliams. After the audition, the pensioner left, after which Walliams allegedly called him a ‘c***’ three times.