Britain's Got Talent's Simon Cowell accused of 'blatant lie' in ITV final

Simon Cowell has been condemned by Britain's Got Talent viewers for telling a 'blatant lie' in Sunday night's final, having declared that there were 'no professionals' amongst the contestants, when it's been well documented that there was at least two.

The debate on whether acts with already established careers should be allowed on the ITV show has been raging for years, with some critics arguing that those with stage experience have a clear advantage of their rivals, as well as condemning the programme for not being up front and honest about their CV.

Two of this year's Britain's Got Talent finalists, opera singer Innocent Makusu and new champion Sydnie Christmas have been at the centre of controversy since their first auditions, after it was discovered that they both already had careers in the industry. Having made his professional debut in a production of Porgy and Bess, Innocent has gone on star in multiple productions, most notably in Carmen at the London Coliseum, while Sydnie has been in both Grease and Starlight Express.

READ MORE: ITV Britain's Got Talent final RECAP as Sydnie Christmas tops vote to win show

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That meant when Simon said: "None of them are professional" when discussing this year's hopefuls near the end of the final, it immediately got viewers' backs up, with them flocking to X to rant against him. One posted: "Simon is lying about none of the acts being professional!" with another writing: "A professional singer wins a final that Simon claimed 'had no professionals in it'. Absolute farce."

A third commented: "No professional acts Simon, read Sydnies Spotify profile, hardly an amateur" as another fumed: "What a fix! And Simon's statement about professional performers felt a little forced & deliberate, when everyone blatantly knows Sydnie Christmas is an established West End performer having performed in Starlight Express, Grease, Lazarus! FIX!"