Britain’s Got Talent contestant Stacey Leadbetter received a Golden Buzzer from KSI during Saturday’s show after being forced to retrain her voice due to a stutter.

The YouTube personality, 31, decided to send singing supermarket worker Stacey Leadbetter through to the semi-finals after her performance of Leona Lewis’ hit Run.

Following her perfomance fellow judge Amanda Holden, 54, branded her amazing while the huge Blackpool audience chanted ‘press the buzzer!’.

Stacey had only performed once before her Britain’s Got Talent appearance and had to retrain her voice due to a speech impediment.

She said: ‘It is extremely hard. I have a video of me singing from four or five years ago and you couldn’t actually understand properly what I was singing due to the severity of speech impediments. So during lockdown I used to sit through like adult speech therapy sessions on YouTube and then I’d introduced it into my singing.’

‘If I don’t do certain exercises for say a couple of weeks at a time, I will start to revert back to how I was,’ she explains.

Recalling how she was bullied at school, Stacey said: ‘In high school I used to stutter a bit and people would mimic me.

‘Children unfortunately sometimes can be a bit harsh and I wasn’t the popular girl at school.’

Fans went wild for the golden buzzer act, sharing their thoughts online and saying: ‘Wow, she literally defied gravity with that vocal performance, she absolutely deserved that Golden Buzzer’; ‘Amazing voice well deserved golden buzzer’;

‘Absolutely amazing. She deserves the golden buzzer and I’ve fallen in love with KSI’; ‘Imagine getting a golden buzzer from KSI, wow. I hope he’s on the panel for the live shows!’;

‘Stacey is a star in the making! Her voice gave me goosebumps! Great choice for a Golden Buzzer, KSI!’; ‘There’s just some performances & auditions that are incredibly special that you’ll never forget. Fantastic from Stacey & it’s ever better, the icing on the cake was KSI golden buzzer act. Fantastic stuff.’

Last week a contestant was reduced to tears the show, causing many fans to complain that the act wasn’t good enough to receive a golden buzzer.

The new series of the long-standing ITV competition kicked off on Saturday and saw a range of acts try and impress judges Simon Cowell, 65, Amanda Holden, 54, Alesha Dixon, 46, and KS.

Singer Vinnie McKee, 29, took to the stage and impressed with his opera cover of The Proclaimers’ song I’m Gonna Be (500 Miles).

Those on social media said: ‘Stacey is a star in the making!’

His performance ended with the crowd chanting for the judges to press the Golden Buzzer – which would give him automatic entry to the live show stage.

Stunned by the holiday rep’s singing, Simon asked: ‘You don’t just go from bingo calling to that. Were you trained as a singer or what?’

‘No I’ve just always sang since I was a young age but I’ve been on the parks since I was 18 and I’ve never left,’ Vinnie replied.

Simon turned to the shouting audience who were gesturing with their hands to press the buzzer.

He then hit the golden button, causing a stream of gold confetti to fall on Vinnie who emotionally said afterwards, ‘Things like this don’t happen to people like me’.

However, Simon’s decision caused some viewers to speak out on social media who didn’t agree with his move to press the Golden Buzzer because the audience wanted him to.

One wrote on X: ‘Why are the audience shouting push the gold for every other act… #bgt #BritainsGotTalent.’;

‘The golden buzzer has become a joke. The randomness of it has stopped, now the audience decide. It’s taken the surprise element out #bgt.’;

‘First show of the series why have golden buzzers so soon? Being used just because audiences make most noise! What happens when other worthy talent during series but no golden buzzer places left? Bit unfair.’;

‘I haaaaate when the crowd chants for the golden buzzer on every act… he’s amazing but not golden buzzer amazing #bgt #BritainsGotTalent.’;

‘Dishing out Golden Buzzers left right and centre tonight on @BGT. #BGT #BritainsGotTalent.’

‘The audience say ‘press the gold’ for every act now #BGT #BritainsGotTalent.’;

But some felt Vinnie deserved the buzzer anyway and one said: ‘In all the years of listening to 500 miles I’ve never taken in the words until now. Well deserved golden buzzer for Vinnie #bgt #BritainsGotTalent.’

It comes as viewers already believe they know the winner after the first episode of the hit ITV show aired on Saturday night.

Viewers quickly took to social media after three-time Guinness World Record holder Auzzy Blood brought sword-swallowing to the stage.

The act left the judges open-mouthed as they watched in fear. During his performance, Auzzy put a corkscrew and meat hook through his head and nose, and out of his mouth.

The scene was so dangerous that a warning was put out so viewers do not try the stunt at home – with Dec reiterating the point during the segment.

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