Britain's Got Talent winner shares what Simon Cowell is really like off camera

08 October 2023 , 15:02

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Britain's Got Talent winner shares what Simon Cowell is really like off camera

A Britain’s Got Talent winner has revealed what judge Simon Cowell is really like when the camera aren’t rolling.

Magician and veteran Lance Corporal Richard Jones appeared on the tenth series of Britain’s Got Talent back in 2016 and went on to become the first magic star to ever win the ITV talent show.

After starring in the Royal Variety Performance, where he performed in front of the Royal Family, Richard landed his very own ITV show called Operation Magic. He also embarked on his own Power of Imagination tour around the UK.

Now 33, Richard is still doing magic and revealed he’s very grateful to have been asked back most years to appear on Britain’s Got Talent. Dishing the dirt on the judges, he said: “I was expecting the Britain’s Got Talent judges to be big divas, but they were quite the opposite.”

But of all the judges – including Amanda Holden, Alesha Dixon and former judge David Walliams – Richard said it was Simon Cowell who surprised him the most.

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“When I’ve bumped into them after the show, the judges are all really lovely down to earth people. Simon especially goes out of his way to make people feel appreciated in real life,” Richard told OK! magazine.

Richard Jones is the only magician to have ever won Britain's Got Talent (Syco/Thames/Dymond)

Revealing what it’s like to be a BGT contestant, he said: “There’s a lot of anxiety backstage before the winner is announced because people don’t know if their lives are going to change in 10 minutes or not. But it’s a lovely atmosphere because everyone wants each other to do well and really supports each other.”

Finalists have about two days to prepare their last performance, which Richard said can be “tough” but “feels you with adrenaline”. But the thing he was most worried about was tripping up as “you don’t want to be remembered as the guy who fell over on television”.

After winning the show, Richard confessed he had wanted to do magic since the age of 19 and his mind-bending tricks earned him the nickname ‘Magic’ in the Army. Speaking to the Mirror at the time, he said: “I became this mysterious person who did crazy things.

Former BGT winner magician Richard Jones dishes the dirt on the judges (Syco/Thames /Dymond)

He explained: “I also got into the Magic Circle. It’s a difficult place to crack, the elite magic society of the world – you have to get to a really high standard, then you have to know two Magic Circle members for two years who must both recommend you. Then there are a number of interviews and auditions, and then you have to take exams to get to the next level.”

Richard dreams of having a residency in “so I’m not just the Britain’s Got Talent guy, I’m the guy who does magic on TV.” As well as performing, he also works with a number of charities including Spread A Smile, which he is an ambassador for. The children’s charity brings entertainers into hospitals, hospices and homes across the UK to take their minds off what they are going through.

Richard said: “As soon as the kids see the entertainers, their eyes light up because they know they are going to have some fun. When you experience magic and it’s powerful enough all your worries wash away in that moment.”

Katie Wilson