Paul O’Grady Has ‘No Regrets’ About Turning Down Britain’s Got Talent

Paul O’Grady has revealed that he doesn’t regret turning down an offer to host Britain’s Got Talent.

Paul was reportedly originally lined-up to front the show, with Simon Cowell, Fern Britton and Piers Morgan in the judging seats. In developing the pilot, there were even plans to call it ‘Paul O'Grady’s Got Talent’.

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As the show continues to celebrate its tenth anniversary, the presenter has spoken about his decision to turn down the ITV variety show.

He told The Sun: “I have no regrets about turning it down. I would get bored if I was a judge on it.

“The show is not about what you are doing on stage. It’s about your history and whether you have got a sob story or not.”

Asked if he would ever sign up to replace Ant & Dec, who have presented all throughout the show’s history, Paul replied: “Would I sh**e!”

The paper reports that the TV host previously spoke about turning down the show with The Sunday People in 2010, admitting he was banned from the ITV studios after rowing about the title of the show, as he thought it sounded ‘quite arrogant’ to name it after him.

He said: “I remember I rang Simon and told him he had a huge hit on his hands, but there was no way I could do it. I said, if I am banned I have to be banned from everything. I can’t be a hypocrite and come in and do this. I had to bow out.”

Copyright [Doug Peters/PA Wire]

Paul added that he wouldn’t take part as a contestant, explaining: “It’s a great show with all those eccentrics. But I would not go on it if I was starting off today.

“I would not touch it with a barge pole. You have to have a sob story. And I haven’t got skeletons in my closet, I’ve got cemeteries!”