Simon Cowell. Photo: Ian West/PA WireShowbiz supremo Simon Cowell was left feeling rather ‘ruff’ after he was hypnotised during a Britain’s Got Talent audition – by a dog.
Cowell apparently slumped forward in his judge’s seat and on to his desk after staring into the animal’s eyes.
The 55-year-old was holding auditions at Manchester’s Lowry Theatre when he fell under the spell of ‘Hypnodog’, a black German Spitz called Princess, owned by performer Krystyna Lennon.
Cowell was ‘under’ for a few minutes before Princess apparently brought him round.
A spokesman for the show said he had recovered after his episode, saying: “It happened on Friday and he returned to auditions yesterday. He was fine.”
Hypnodog is a canine stage hypnotist based in Leeds, West Yorkshire, and has performed at universities around the UK, the Edinburgh Fringe Festival, music festivals such as the V Festival and at Reading, as well as on cruise ships, at hotels and in casinos, according to its website.
Lennon is a life coach and qualified hypnotherapist who decided to take over the family trade after her uncle Hugh Lennon, a professional hypnotist, retired in 2007.
The act started more than 25 years ago after Lennon found a 10-month-old Labrador retriever called Oscar on a farm. Oscar became part of his act when one night Lennon brought his pet on to the stage and a girl supposedly became hypnotised without him doing a thing.
Oscar retired in 2001 after 12 years of performing due to failing eyesight, and last year Lennon took over the show following her uncle’s retirement in 2010.
It is not the first time Cowell has been entranced by a dog. Three years ago Ashleigh Butler and her dancing dog Pudsey won the sixth series of Britain’s Got Talent, becoming the first dog trick act to win the competition.