Britain’s Got Talent acts 100 Voices Of Gospel and Mel and Jamie have said they were stunned to have got through to the grand final of the show.
They beat seven other acts to win the first live semi-final of the ITV programme.
100 Voices Of Gospel – a choir comprised of members from across the world – made it through after receiving the most votes from the public.
Judges Simon Cowell, David Walliams, Alesha Dixon and Amanda Holden then had to decide which of the next two acts – mother and son duo Mel and Jamie and singer Kathleen Jenkins – should have a slot in the final.
David and Alesha voted for Kathleen, while Amanda went with Mel and Jamie.
Simon was left with the deciding vote, and admitted he had dreaded being in that situation.
He picked Mel and Jamie, meaning it was a split decision and the public would choose who stayed.
100 Voices Of Gospel said afterwards that their win hadn’t sunk in.
The group had received a standing ovation from David, Amanda and Alesha.
Simon said their performance was in “a different league” to anything else he had heard all night.
Mel, 45, said she was “gobsmacked” to have made it to the final hurdle with her 16-year-old son Jamie.
The acts beat seven other hopefuls – Jenkins, singer Richard Bayton, crossbow performer Ben Blaque, impressionist Darren Altman, performance squad Spartans Resurrection, dance crew Total TXS and Welsh dance troupe the Ystrad Fawr Dancers.
During the show viewers saw Amanda joke that it was time for Simon to propose to his partner Lauren Silverman.
The panel had just watched gymnastics group Spartan Resurrection perform and were discussing whether the end of the routine had been big enough.
Simon pointed out to Amanda that it had contained a proposal, and she responded: “I know, even bigger than that Simon, bigger than a proposal… which would be good for someone like you to do.”
As the audience laughed and whistled, David suggested Simon pop the question on live TV.
He jokingly responded by asking David: “Will you marry me?”
There are still more than 30 acts to perform in the live semi-finals, ahead of the grand final on May 28.
The winner of the ITV show, now in its 10th year, will perform for the Queen at the Royal Variety Show and win a £250,000 prize.
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