London comedian Axel Blake is emotional as he is crowned winner of Britain’s Got Talent

Comedian Axel Blake said ‘words can’t even explain’ his emotions after being crowned the winner of Britain’s Got Talent 2022 on Sunday night.
The 33-year-old property maintenance manager from west London, who was Simon Cowell’s golden buzzer pick, scooped the £250,000 prize, along with a spot on the poster for the Royal Variety Performance.
Ventriloquist Jamie Leahey and his puppet Chuck the Chicken came second, while singer Tom Ball took third place.
Speaking after his win, Blake said: “Words can’t even explain. I’m shaking. Thank you all for voting for me. It means the world to me.
The comedian delivered another witty comedy routine during the talent show finale, including joking that he heard an audience member mistake him for rapper Stormzy, but with added weight.
He also joked how the intensity of cycling in London forced him to give up the sport, but he still maintains his dance moves, which he demonstrated on stage.
Cowell said he was emotional for Blake after the routine, adding, “I really believe we’ve discovered a star.”
David Walliams added that it was a “winning performance” and that he thought he would “storm” the Royal Variety Performance.
Ventriloquist Leahey narrowly missed out on the title after opening the show with a routine that had the audience laughing.
The 13-year-old from St Helens, Merseyside, mocked Cowell during the performance, with the chicken jokingly the judge could eat it for Sunday lunch.
Amanda Holden said the routine brought her to tears as she called the performance “perfect”.
While Ball had the audience and judges on their feet after delivering a powerful rendition of Tom Jones’ I (Who Have Nothing).
Holden described the performance of the 24-year-old high school teacher from West Sussex as “incredible” and “unforgettable”.
Also among the finalists were rapper and pianist duo Flintz and T4ylor who delivered a moving original song on their journey to connecting on social media and reaching the talent competition final.
Rapper Flintz, 22, was offered words of support by the judges after he became emotional and momentarily lost his lyrics.
Alesha Dixon, who awarded the act her golden buzzer during the audition, told him that what they accomplished on the show would outweigh any mistakes he made during the performance.
Singer Loren Allred also fought for the crown with a powerful rendition of an original song she wrote after her audition, titled Last Thing I’ll Ever Need.
The 32-year-old New Yorker, who was the voice behind The Greatest Showman’s track Never Enough, was praised by Holden for breaking away from what she’s known for and showing her “heart and soul” in the performance.
Comedian Eva Abley, 14, who has cerebral palsy, made the crowd laugh with her stand-up routine where she joked that she had been sacked as Boris Johnson’s hairdresser because she was apparently ‘too good”.
She added that she was now Cowell’s hairdresser, noting that her evenings with champagne and caviar were “much better” than the Prime Minister’s “cheese and wine” affairs.
The show also saw Amber and The Dancing Collies make a strong comeback after being chosen by the judges to return as a “wildcard act” among all the third-place acts who failed to qualify for the semi-finals.
The Dutch dog trainer and his canine sidekick Nymeria delivered a Grease-themed routine that only featured one dog this time after Cowell said their performance in the semi-final with two dogs was too much.
5 Star Boys also delivered a moving contemporary dance routine to David Bowie‘s heroes.
The group of boys, aged 10 to 12 and from across the UK, performed synchronized backflips, lunges and jumps as smoke piled on the stage and glitter rained down.
As seven-year-old Aneeshwar Kunchala from Warrington continued his passionate message to protect the environment with another inspirational poem.
He got momentarily nervous at first, but carried on confidently after the cheers of the audience.
Ben Nickless, 40, entertained with his bizarre impersonations of famous faces, including poking fun at hosts Ant and Dec and their many showcase gigs.
And busker Maxwell Thorpe, 32, gave a powerful rendition of the classic opera song Caruso, which Walliams said he was “hypnotized” by.
The finale, held at the Apollo Theater in London, also featured a performance by the West End cast of Sister Act: The Musical.