Britain's Got Talent producers have hit back at 'fixing' claims after it was revealed that a contestant already had an impressive following on TikTok.
Tia Connolly appeared on the ITV talent show over the weekend after her mum sprung an audition on the 15-year-old schoolgirl as a surprise.
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Her mum was originally positioned to audition but told the judges that she wanted to 'give up' her chance so that her daughter could showcase her talents.
Taking to the stage, Connolly blew the judges and audience away with her rendition of Whitney Houston's I Didn't Know My Own Strength.
Judges raved about the performance, as Amanda Holden gushed: "I think you absolutely smashed it. You've got a massive career ahead of you."
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Simon Cowell said: "I really love moments like this. You didn't know you were going to audition, your mum set you up. And you just sang Whitney Houston, like it's normal."
Connolly got through to the next round with flying colours, but some viewers were skeptical about the authenticity of the set up.
One viewer tweeted: "Hmmm not performed before? Nearly 40,000 followers on TikTok….. #bgt #bgt2023.”
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Another wrote: "Acts are clearly scouted through the likes of tiktok ,or asked on by producers. Stop leading us to believe they all genuinely audition."
A spokesperson for Britain's Got Talent denied outright that Connolly's audition had been 'fixed', and said: "For anyone to suggest that Tia’s audition is a fix is completely false and hugely damaging to a 15-year-old child who has come on stage and proven she has undeniable talent."
The vast majority of viewers were blown away by Connolly's performance and raved about it online.
One viewer commented: "A beautiful performance, Tia's voice is so mature, no forced, fancy rifts it came from her soul. Such an unassuming young lady with a wonderful future ahead of her."
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Another admirer wrote: "Tia was so shy, so nervous, and so afraid before singing. The moment she started singing a complete transformation, or better yet, a complete metamorphosis happened.
"She became confident, bold, and fearless. I have seen and enjoyed so many auditions on this channel. But I do not think that any of the previous ones has made as big an impact on me as this one has.
"Tia, stay strong. Be bold. You have an amazing voice. But even more important, you have an amazing attitude."
Connolly shared videos of her Britain's Got Talent audition to her TikTok channel, which has over 60,000 followers.
Featured Image Credit: ITVTopics: Britains Got Talent, ITV, TV And Film