Diversity star Ashley Banjo has said he would never "take back" the Black Lives Matter-themed dance routine from the dance troupe's recent appearance on Britain's Got Talent.
Though the dance troupe were upheld for their "call for social unity" from broadcasting regulators and publicly supported by ITV, some viewers complained about the content of a routine that addressed the COVID-19 pandemic, the killing of George Floyd and institutional racism.
During an appearance on The Graham Norton Show, Ashley chatted with the other celebrity guests and Graham about the whirlwind few weeks since the dance aired on BGT.
"We knew full well that people wouldn't like it, but I wasn't quite ready for the amount of people," he chuckled. "I wasn't quite ready to be across national news for three weeks, with people telling me that it wasn't the time or place.
"Somehow I ended up being the racist. I don't know how that works! All I tried to do was a summary of 2020, and kinda create something that kinda ended up as a moment of hope, coming together and trying to end positively. It was like a look-back."
Ashley also remains confused over how this powerful expression "got turned into something that touched a really raw nerve".
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"I'm glad it did [cause controversy], you know," he added.
The Diversity star joked that his only regret is that Ofcom stopped his momentum from having the most complained-about moment in TV history by clearing Britain's Got Talent of breaching broadcast standards.
"I'm super proud and I would never take it back," he insisted.
The Britain's Got Talent will air its finale on Saturday (October 10) on ITV.
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For more information on how you can support Black Lives Matter, please visit its official website or donate here. Readers can also donate to the UK anti-discrimination group Stand Up To Racism, and the Unite Families & Friends Campaign, which supports those affected by deaths in police, prison and psychiatric custody.
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Justin is a freelance entertainment journalist and writer. He first joined Digital Spy as a freelance entertainment reporter in 2010 and also worked as a sub-editor for the brand, serving as Night News Editor from 2016 to 2024. Over more than a decade, Justin has covered numerous major entertainment events from the US and has interviewed a wide-ranging group of public figures, from comedian Steve Coogan to icons from the Star Trek universe, cast members from the Marvel Cinematic Universe and reality stars from numerous Real Housewives cities and the Below Deck franchise. Justin has also been on the ground to cover major pop culture events like the Star Wars Celebration and the D23 Expo. He's written for titles across the Hearst network, plus the likes of CBR and Us Weekly.
