After wowing judges on national TV, Lucy Heath hopes she and her four-legged friends can make it all the way to the Britain’s Got Talent final.
Lucy, of Grantham, alongside her dogs Strike, Trip Hazard, Tempo and Peach, received four yeses from BGT judges Simon Cowell, Alesha Dixon, Amanda Holden and Bruno Tonioli on Saturday (April 20) night.
Lucy is still waiting to see if she will officially make it through to the live semi-finals, but she hopes she and her dogs can go all the way as “we have a lot more to show people”.
Lucy, who made it to the BGT finals in 2016, said: “I have always felt non-competitive and always thought it would just be really nice to be on it [BGT].
“Now I feel a little bit more competitive.
“I am back here eight years later, I feel more experienced and we are trying to bring a different dog act to people.
“I am really hoping we can go all the way.”
In this year’s audition, Lucy initially appeared with just Strike with judge Simon Cowell commenting that he remembered her from her 2016 audition and querying how Trip was getting on.
But he was soon to find out, as three more dogs joined the stage as a surprise, including Trip who jumped on Strike’s back for a ride as part of the act.
“It was a really scary thing going back as before, it was such a great experience and it’s cemented in my memory,” Lucy said.
“I risked that going back, but it turned out really well.
“It was completely different going on stage with four dogs. I had two of my girls [Peach and Tempo] who I thought might be nervous.
“I knew Trip would be fine with the audience and Strike would be as well. But, I thought we’ll do the rehearsal and if they don’t like it we won't audition. Luckily they were OK and we did it.”
Also last time Lucy appeared on the show, David Walliams was a judge instead of Bruno - with Simon commenting to Bruno: “That’s like the show you used to do.” Waiting in the wings, hosts Ant and Dec, were clearly delighted with Lucy’s performance, laughing and giggling, and Simon’s comment prompted Dec to respond: “Strictly dogs dancing!”
After receiving a standing ovation from all four judges, Lucy said: “I really liked Bruno. He said we were the best dog act he’d ever seen so I thought I like you!”
Following the audition airing on Saturday night, Lucy has noticed an increase in her social media followers and has been inundated with messages of congratulations and support.
She added: “We had lots of messages from different people congratulating us and we had some really nice things from people saying it made their day and it really cheered them up.”
Lucy moved to Grantham from Billingborough in 2020 and people in the town have been sharing their support with her, with some saying it was “really nice to see someone from Grantham do this”.
It has also been non-stop for Lucy since Saturday as she performed at the All About Dogs Show at Newark Showground, and appeared on This Morning on Monday (April 22) to talk to presenters Cat Deeley and Ben Shephard.
Lucy said: “It was funny, the [All About Dogs] show was suddenly a lot busier on Sunday than Saturday.
“And This Morning was really good. They [Cat and Ben] were really natural with the dogs.
“We even did a behind the scenes clip with them teaching them how to do tricks.”
As a child, Lucy was never allowed a dog, but it was always her dream to have one and perform with it after she watched dog trainer Mary Ray perform at Crufts.
“Watching Mary perform Best in Show, it used to make me cry because I said one day I want to have a relationship with a dog like that,” said Lucy.
She added: “I moved to Lincolnshire when I was 21 and the minute I got my first house, I got a dog and got into every class I could. I would also find clips on YouTube and learn tricks.
“The relationship you build with a dog, you get a real close bond with them.
“The dogs really enjoy it and when they get it, it really clicks with them. I just really love the time we have together.”
For anyone who wants their dogs to perform tricks like Lucy’s, she reveals some of her top tips.
She said: “Take your dogs to classes and the staff there will teach you lots of tricks.
“I teach in the Grantham area as well so that’s always an option!
“Otherwise, just have lots of nice treats and look up videos on YouTube.”
BGT airs weekly on Saturdays and Sundays on ITV.
What did you think of The Trickstars performance? Do you think Lucy can make it all the way to the final? Let us know in the comments
