'BGT' judge Alesha Dixon 'in floods of tears' over Diversity's Black Lives Matter-themed dance
Alesha Dixon has said she was in “floods of tears” over Diversity’s Black Lives Matter-themed routine on Britain’s Got Talent.
The dance troupe took to the stage on the ITV show earlier this month for an emotional performance that saw them tell the story of the death of George Floyd.
The routine divided viewers, triggering thousands of complaints to broadcasting watchdog Ofcom and becoming the second most complained about TV incident of the decade behind Celebrity Big Brother’s 2018 ‘punchgate’ controversy.
Read more: Ashley Banjo speaks out after reaction to Diversity dance routine
Dixon has expressed her support for Diversity following the backlash, and has now told The Mirror how moved she was by the thought-provoking dance.
“On the day of the performance, the camera didn’t actually pan to the judges and I was sitting there in floods of tears,” she said.
“I had this overwhelming feeling of ‘Wow I can’t believe I am watching this on BGT’. It felt really important.”
Dixon also spoke out last week after Diversity’s lead dancer – and current BGT judge – Ashley Banjo shared a message he had received on social media.
Posting a picture of himself, boxer Antony Joshua and Formula 1’s Lewis Hamilton with a caption suggesting black stars should not discuss racism, Banjo wrote: “For the people sending this: 1. You do not represent or speak for the Great British public. 2. Silence was never and will never be an option. 3. Change is inevitable... Get used to it.”
Dixon wrote in response that people sending Banjo such messages could “kiss my black a***”.
JLS star Aston Merrygold also commented, saying: “It’s like that yeah! Guess it’s time to speak louder for the people that can’t quite hear!”
Banjo’s brother and Diversity colleague Jordan Banjo also spoke of the response to the performance, saying though they had received positive messages, there had been some negativity too.
Read more: Alesha Dixon hoping Simon Cowell can join BGT shows via live link
Talking on the Kiss Breakfast Show, he said: “We also got bombarded with messages and articles of horrible stuff about us, about our families… I can’t speak for anyone else. It’s sad, it’s sad, genuinely.
“I feel really anxious and worried saying something like black lives matter when that’s all we want, man. Love and positivity.
“No one is saying only black lives matter, it’s all positivity and love. Let’s keep it moving.”
Diversity won Britain’s Got Talent in 2009.
Leader Banjo is standing in as a judge on the show while Simon Cowell is recovering from back surgery.
