Simon Cowell broke his silence on the controversy around Britain’s Got Talent contestant Loren Allred as she sailed through to the final of the ITV talent show.
Judges Amanda Holden, Simon, David Walliams and Alesha Dixon all reunited for another instalment of this week’s semi-finals as they once again search for the country's next big star.
Speculation that certain aspects of the show had been 'fixed' has swirled around the show this year, with Loren’s audition in particular raising a few eyebrows among viewers at home.
The Golden Buzzer act wowed the judging panel with a breathtaking rendition of Never Enough from The Greatest Showman, before revealing that her vocals were used in the film soundtrack.
As she sailed through the show's semi-final on Thursday evening, Simon weighed in on claims that the show is a 'fix' as Loren already has achieved a level of fame and clinched a record deal.
The former X Factor judge said: “I know you've got a bit of stick in the media saying "Oh it's a fix" because you've been on another show, but that's the whole point of show's like this, you give people a second chance."
He added: “We haven't had a female winner this week so far and I hope you change that after tonight.”
Alesha Dixon echoed his comments, saying that Loren had “just as much right to be on the show as anyone else” and she had to “work harder” than other contestants to prove herself.
The hopeful contestant's performance in the auditions was enough for judge Amanda to hit the Golden Buzzer, but some of those watching from the sofa felt Loren had an unfair advantage over other hopefuls.
While Loren didn’t appear in The Greatest Showman film, which starred Hugh Jackman, Zac Efron and Zendaya, she did provide the vocals for the iconic performance of the hit track, with the part played by actress Rebecca Ferguson as opera singer Jenny Lind.
“I think some of you might have heard my voice, but you won't know my face,” the singer told the audience on stage at the London Palladium.
In addition to her stint on The Greatest Showman, the 31-year-old American singer has also appeared on reality show The Voice and duetted with the likes of Michael Bublé and Andrea Bocelli.
During her time on The Voice US, Loren was coached by Maroon 5 frontman Adam Levine and made it all the way to the live shows before being booted off.
Speaking in a statement regarding the 'fix' accusations, a spokesperson for Britain's Got Talent said: "Whilst most people will have heard the infamous Greatest Showman track, Loren is not a household name, and she deserves her spot on the BGT stage.
"It’s fantastic that Loren is now able to step out and stand in her own right to be the face, and not just the voice, of one of the most well-known tracks of all time."
