Inside the bitter feuds and petty rivalries of the BGT judging panel - from ... trends now
The much-anticipated new series of Britain's Got Talent finally kicks off on Saturday, with the star-studded judging panel on a mission to find the next big star.
Simon Cowell, Amanda Holden, Alesha Dixon and Bruno Tonioli will scour the nation for hopefuls ready to battle it out for £250,000 and a coveted spot on the bill at the Royal Variety Performance.
And while the judges love to paint the picture that they're the best of friends on-set, behind-the-scenes there's been shortage of drama.
Amanda herself has been embroiled in a row with Sharon Osbourne in recent weeks, after slamming the X Factor judge as 'bitter and pathetic' for berating her former colleague Simon Cowell on Celebrity Big Brother.
So, as fans count down the hours to BGT's new series, MailOnline takes a look at some of the feuds and rivalries that have rocked the panel...
The much-anticipated new series of Britain's Got Talent finally kicks off on Saturday, with the star-studded judging panel on a mission to find the next big star
When Bruno Tonioli joined the judging panel last year, his heft salary reportedly raised eyebrows as it was a vast sum for his debut series
Bruno joined the BGT judging panel last year after David Walliams' departure, and in the weeks leading up to confirmation he would be taking party, speculation was rife about his bumper salary.
It was reported that the Strictly Come Dancing judge would receive an eye-watering £850,000 for the 2023 series.
A source previously told The Sun: 'He's managed to triple his UK Strictly salary and beat off strong competition from favourite-for-the-job Alan Carr, who is friends with a lot of the cast and crew.'
It was reported that the salary meant Bruno would be earning the same as longtime judges Amanda and Alesha.
Following news of Bruno's appointment, it was reported the series was thrown into chaos when Amanda and Alesha refused to sign contracts after learning of the former dancer's hefty salary.
A source told The Sun: 'Amanda has been on BGT for 17 years, while Alesha is going into her eleventh year. They don't think it's fair a newcomer could walk into the show and be handed the same deal as them'.
'Bruno was still ironing out his contract on Friday too so it's all very much down to the wire'.
Bruno went onto be confirmed as BGT's newest judge at the first round of auditions, and quickly made an impact by pressing the Golden Buzzer for the first act he saw.
Amanda then brushed off any concerns of a behind-the-scenes feud, telling The Sun: 'He's a wonderful ball of energy and in a good way he's already broken every rule.
'So much so that Simon will probably have to throw out any rulebook this year.'
David Walliams' legal battle
David Walliams received a settlement after suing the makers of BGT. The comic stepped down after a recording of him making offensive comments about contestants was leaked
After being axed from BGT in 2022, David sued the makers of Britain's Got Talent, Fremantle for a reported £10 million.
The comedian stepped down from the show after a recording of him making offensive comments about contestants was leaked to The Guardian.
The former Little Britain star is said to have claimed in court documents that producers 'recorded, transcribed and retained' all his conversations during his decade-long stint and that he had no idea his microphone was 'kept on and recording' throughout the entire day of filming.
The Little Britain star alleged 1,700 hours of audio recordings were collected, including a personal chat with his fellow judges Alesha Dixon, Simon Cowell and Amanda Holden about the impact of his father's death.
He also has said he battled severe depression since the sacking and has had 'active suicidal thoughts'.
In November it emerged that David agreed to a settlement which is said to be 'way under' the £10 million which he was seeking. MailOnline understands that the sum is comfortably less than £5 million.
Fremantle had to accept that their security procedures had failed which allowed Walliams' comments to be leaked to the Guardian, hence the decision to settle.
Sources indicate that many of his other arguments 'failed' leading to a relatively modest settlement which was equivalent to around a year's salary - roughly £1million.
An on-screen 'feud'
When the last series of BGT began, viewers were quick to claim they'd spotted a secret feud between Alesha and Bruno
When the last series of BGT began, viewers were quick to claim they'd spotted a secret feud between Alesha and Bruno.
Eagle eyed viewers spotted the supposed tensions between Alesha, 44, and Bruno, 67, during the second live semi-final, when the former pop princess appeared not to look at her co-star when he spoke.
Fans tweeted: 'Love how much Alesha hates Bruno.
'It's v obvious Alesha can't stand Bruno' with a third agreeing: ''I'm not convinced Alesha likes Bruno very much;
'Genuinely feel sorry for Alesha Dixon
