Ashleigh Butler and her pooch Pudsey created television history by being the first-ever dog act to win Britain’s Got Talent, making Simon Cowell’s dream come true.
The dynamic twosome won audiences over on the sixth season of the talent show back in 2012 when Pudsey, a fluffy crossbreed of Border Collie, Bichon Frise, and Chinese Crested dazzled the judges with his tricks.
Alesha Dixon was overwhelmed at the time, stating: “I can’t cope, this moment is too much. You’re showing people what dogs can do when they have good homes and are loved. I can’t cope. You’re the ones to beat.”
And Amanda Holden gushed: “That was unbelievable, forget diamonds, Pudsey is everybody’s best friend, he’s just gorgeous,” reports the Mirror.
Ashleigh and Pudsey won the show in 2012
(Image: Ken McKay / Rex Features)
Ashleigh and Pudsey’s incredible dance routine to the Mission Impossible theme in the finals saw them take the top place, beating runners-up Jonathan and Charlotte. Simon Cowell said, with a smile on his face: “My life’s work is now complete.”
Fame followed quickly for Ashleigh, who was then just a sixth form student, but she always insisted that her adorable pet Pudsey was the real celebrity.
Chatting about how fame changed their lives in July 2014, she shared: “If I’m on my own, people will look at me and kind of know they recognise me from somewhere, but they’re not sure. But if I’m with Pudsey, then yes, they recognise us.”
After his amazing performances on Britain’s Got Talent, Pudsey the wonderdog and his owner, Ashleigh, managed to secure a fortune, signing a book deal worth an impressive £350,000.
This money went straight into their savings which was already impressive from their £500,000 BGT winnings and a £150,000 cheque for performing in a panto that Christmas.
Ashleigh & Pudsey wre the winners in 2012
(Image: Rex)
Ashleigh and Pudsey performing at Epsom
(Image: No credit)
On top of their monetary gains, they had the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to perform for The Queen at the Royal Variety performance and during her Diamond Jubilee celebrations.
They wore the guest judge’s hat on ITV2 shows Top Dog Model and That Dog Can Dance and co-hosted the children’s show Who Let the Dogs Out?
In-between all this, Ashleigh had the chance to be the Duchess in David Walliams’ adaptation of his children’s book Mr Stink and make an appearance on a celebrity edition of First Dates.
One of their career highlights came in 2014 when they starred in their own film, Pudsey: The Movie, where David Walliams lent his voice to Pudsey.
Pudsey got to meet Kim Kardashian
(Image: UNKNOWN)
For three years in a row, Ashleigh and Pudsey performed in productions of Dick Whittington and acted as Dorothy and Toto in a pantomime version of The Wizard of Oz.
However, there were rumours of a potential split between the pair in 2016 because Pudley was rumoured to be ‘jealous’ when Ashleigh started dating an acrobat. She fell for him while he worked as a dancer on Ashleigh and Pudsey’s tour.
Speaking to Mirror Celeb, she said: “I always said I’d never date someone in this industry, but Zac’s sweet. He does back flips and has a great body.”
“There was meeting the parents and then there’s meeting Pudsey. My parents like him, but Pudsey hasn’t warmed to him just yet, I think he’s a little bit jealous. I hope they’ll warm to each other.”
After being on First Dates, Ashleigh said she wanted to try new things by herself, saying: “I’m not ditching Pudsey, but hopefully I can do a few more projects on my own.
“Pudsey’s got his own movie, so it’s about time I can have some limelight. My dream would be Strictly Come Dancing.”
But it looks like her love story didn’t last, and rumours started that Ashleigh had a secret romance with her friend’s boyfriend while on tour.
They had the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to perform for The Queen at the Royal Variety performance
(Image: Getty Images)
The Sun reported in June 2019 that Ashleigh had secret meeting with Anthony Clarke at events in the UK and other places. Their secret was reported to have come out when Anthony’s girlfriend Holly found very personal photos of them at a dog show.
A source said at the time: “Everyone thinks that Ashleigh is this squeaky clean, goody two-shoes. But Holly is absolutely devastated by this betrayal. It has turned into a huge mess.”
Sadly, Pudsey died in July 2017 after becoming ill with acute leukaemia. Announcing the news on social media, Ashleigh wrote: “I can’t honestly believe I am writing these words. My handsome man has gone, and I don’t know what to do without him.”
Ashleigh Butler and new dog Sully
(Image: PA)
She also said: “My heart is broken, and I don’t know how I’m going to get through this. It hurts so much, that my handsome, incredible Pudsey Bear will never be by my side, where he belongs, again.
“We only had 11 years together, but they were the best years ever. He was my one in a billion dog that will never be replaced. I don’t need to write all of his endless accomplishments on here to prove how incredible he was for me. Sleep tight my handsome man, I love you lots xxxx.”
But Ashleigh found a new furry friend named Sully, who looked a lot like Pudsey and in March 2018 they dud well together at Crufts. The pair then returned to Britain’s Got Talent on BGT: The Champions. Sadly, they only reached third place in their heat and weren’t able to make it into the final round.
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