Britain's Got Talent judge Amanda Holden has spoken publicly about the sacking of her former colleague Kelly Brook from the ITV1 show.

The model and actress was cut from the talent show judging panel after only six days in the job last month.

At the time head judge Simon Cowell said it had become clear that the talent show's format did not "support another judge".

And Holden has said Cowell's statement last month was "absolutely right".

"It was one of those unfortunate things where nobody could foresee that it was game over when there were four judges," she told Radio 1's Newsbeat programme.

"Because of the buzzer situation, four judges on our show doesn't work," she continued. "If we didn't have the buzzers then it would definitely work like it does on American Idol and on X Factor.

"It was a really difficult thing to try and work out, when two people pressed the buzzer and two people didn't, then the person on stage didn't know whether to wait for all the buzzers to go.

"Ant and Dec were confused, we were all confused. In the end, the producers and everybody felt that it was jeopardising the show."

Former Wild at Heart actress Holden added: "It was nothing to do with Kelly Brook. She was thrown completely in at the deep end."

The third series of Britain's Got Talent begins in the spring, with a new batch of aspiring performers aiming to follow in the footsteps of previous champions Paul Potts and George Sampson.

Holden explained she and her fellow judges Cowell and Piers Morgan completed filming on the audition process of the show last Saturday.

"We've picked the last 40 acts for the live shows in May. Let's say we should rename the show Britain's Got Self Belief!" she joked.

As well as claiming a £100,000 prize, the winner gets a chance to perform in front of the Queen at the Royal Variety Performance.


13/02/2009 00:01:01