Simon Cowell apologises to Britain’s Got Talent’s Jai McDowall as he returns for Champions series

Simon Cowell apologises to Britain’s Got Talent winner Jai McDowall when the singer returns to the show tonight.

This evening sees the latest heat of Britain’s Got Talent: The Champions as acts from the past 13 years of BGT return in a bid to be crowned ultimate champion.

Jai’s comeback follows a rocky relationship with BGT supremo Simon, who previously said the performer wasn’t a “genuine star”.

Admitting he was wrong, Simon said this week: “I did feel when I saw him again that he’s the definition of a proud man. He didn’t sulk — he just came back to prove a point. And he did.”

He told The Sun newspaper ahead of Saturday’s show: “I knew I had to apologise to him at that moment. It gave me a chance to say something publicly I should have said some time ago.

“But it was also the fact he had the guts to come back and compete, knowing I wasn’t that supportive the first time he was on the show. I thought, ‘Good for you — you did very well’. I think he’ll get a lot of work off the back of this show.”

Jai will be seen singing in tonight’s episode for a place in the final.

In the Britain’s Got Talent: The Champions heats, two acts will make it through each week, one chosen by the judges via the golden buzzer and the other by the arena audience.

Alongside Jai, acts appearing this week include the first comedian to ever win BGT, Lost Voice Guy, together with Alesha’s golden buzzer from series 11, dance group Mersey Girls and ventriloquist Paul Zerdin, who won the American version of the show.

We also welcome back choir 100 Voices of Gospel and acrobatic duo Gao Lin & Liu Xin.

Joining them are Italy’s Got Talent’s Antonio Sorgentone, America’s Got Talent’s Deadly Games and Alexa Lauenburger, who won the German version of Got Talent in 2017 with her eight dogs.

Britain’s Got Talent: The Champions continues at 8:30PM on ITV this Saturday, September 7.