Ashley Banjo says ITV bosses who trusted him moved to tears by BLM dance
Britain's Got Talent judge Ashley Banjo shared ITV bosses were left in tears over the Black Lives Matter dance after trusting him creatively with the choreography
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Ashley Banjo revealed ITV bosses were in tears over his Black Lives Matter-inspired dance when they saw it for the first time at rehearsals.
Diversity sparked thousands of complaints with their brave dance on Britain's Got Talent, which included a sequence where a police officer knelt on Ashley's neck - in the same way George Floyd was killed.
Quickly the much-talked about dance become the most controversial TV moment of this year.
And it's heading for one of the most complained about TV moments of the decade with 24,500 complaints.
But Britain's Got Talent judge Ashley, 32, brushed off the controversy as he divulged he had the full backing from ITV who trusted him "creatively".
He told GQ magazine : "I don’t think I’ve had anything but full support from the production company and ITV. I’ve done a lot of work with ITV, so they trust me creatively. I said to them on the phone that week before, 'This is what I think I’m going to do.'
"And they were great with it. That’s really important. They didn’t say anything until we turned up on the day. We turned up and we rehearsed. I think it was a bit of a shock for everybody [there]."
At the rehearsals, the leader of Diversity recalled how the ITV staff were left in tears and completely moved by their dance.
He added: "Everyone was like, 'Wow, this is where you’re going.' But as much as it was a shock, I don’t think as many people have ever taken me aside individually. The first run-through in rehearsal, people said they either were in tears or that it connected with them. That for me was so important."
It even inspired Prince Harry and Meghan Markle to reach out and chat to Ashley about his experience in private.
Ofcom ruled it wasn't going to investigate the complaints any further.
Head judge Amanda Holden said the dance had sparked a conversation that needed to be had about race.
Amanda isn't shy of a little controversy herself as her risqué outfits on Britain's Got Talent spark complaints from viewers.
Alesha Dixon showed her full support as she turned heads with a Black Lives Matter-inspired necklace on the show.
In his home life, Ashley has been married to Francesca Abbott since 2015.
The couple raise their children Rose and Micah at their lovenest.
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