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Kelly Brook's feud with Ant and Dec after axe from Britain's Got Talent
Reach Daily Express | May 2, 2026 2:39 PM CST

Kelly Brook has addressed her feud with Ant and Dec which came after her very short stint as a judge on Britain's Got Talent.

A week ago, the Geordie duo presided over what was arguably the most explosive conclusion to a reality television programme when the live finale of I'm A Celebrity... South Africa descended into chaos, featuring warring stars and participants departing amidst the turmoil.

Days after former Emmerdale star Adam Thomas was crowned winner of the ITV series, Ant and Dec spoke out about it on their podcast, Hanging Out with Ant and Dec, with Ant describing it as "a weird night of TV".

Yet while it was likely the most contentious series to date, the television presenters have been embroiled in numerous other controversies, including a dispute with Kelly, who participated in the original version of I'm A Celebrity last year and appears as a guest on James Martin's Saturday Morning on May 2.

Friction between the trio dates back to 2009 when Kelly was briefly appointed as a judge on the ITV talent programme, Britain's Got Talent, the current series of which continues tonight (May 2) at 7pm, reports the Mirror.

Reports have long indicated that Ant and Dec were displeased that Kelly, 46, had been recruited for the programme without their approval. Over the years, the three have traded subtle digs at one another through interviews and memoirs.

Last year, the trio were reunited on ITV when Kelly became a contestant on I'm A Celebrity... Get Me Out Of Here! and reopened the old wound in a fresh interview. In the conversation, she discussed the origins of the alleged feud - which is believed to have arisen from the claim that she was unaware of what Ant and Dec did when she joined the BGT judging panel. And while the pair have consistently maintained this is what occurred, Kelly has repeatedly disputed that this is accurate.

She summarised the situation in six words during her discussion with The Sun, stating: "There was no awkwardness at all. "

She went on: "Ant and Dec are the sweetest, and they were so excited that I was doing the show. I think they are really involved in the casting of it."

She added: "They were really fun and supportive. I was so excited when I saw them for the first time - I was in a helicopter looking down at them. I actually got star-struck, even though I worked with them all those years ago. I'm a massive fan of the show, so it was surreal to suddenly be in there. Plus, Ant and Dec were the least of my worries - I was more concerned with snakes, spiders and the lack of food!"

Her version of events contrasts with that of the Geordie pair. In 2010, the duo released their autobiography, Ooh! What a Lovely Pair: Our Story, in which they set out their allegations regarding Kelly.

Recalling the first day Kelly appeared alongside them on the set of BGT, they asserted: "Kelly looked nervous, so I told her it was going to be great fun and to just relax and enjoy it. She nodded, then looked at me and said, 'And what do you do on the show?'

"I looked at Simon, who was sat next to me, he turned to Kelly and said, 'Kelly, you have seen the show, haven't you?' To which she replied, 'Yeah... well, bits'. I don't want to sound like an egomaniac, but the last person who said, 'And what do you do?' was the Queen when I met her at the party for ITV's fiftieth anniversary."

The memoir also suggested that the duo were left furious with show boss Simon Cowell for bringing Kelly on board without consulting them beforehand. They wrote: "We had two questions: 'Why is there a fourth judge?' and 'Why is it Kelly Brook?' None of them could answer us.

"Obviously, as hosts of the show, we have to justify that kind of thing to the audience, and no one could give us a good reason why Kelly was on board. The simple answer was that Simon, without talking to anyone, had decided it was a good idea. We didn't agree."

Kelly had previously dismissed the controversy, suggesting she had little regard for Ant and Dec's opinion of her. She revealed in a former interview: "There was nothing I could do in this country after Britain's Got Talent. The people at ITV were telling me that I had upset Ant and Dec and that was it.

"I would love to have stayed on the show. I really felt it was working out. Ant and Dec had never been anything but pleasant to my face but, clearly, they didn't want me on the show. Their egos are such that they were saying to themselves 'How dare she think she can come on to our show?', and since then they've been very vocal about their displeasure at me being there."

Kelly Brook is on James Martin's Saturday Morning on ITV1 on May 2 at 9.30am. Ant and Dec host Britain's Got Talent on ITV1 on May 2 at 7pm


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