Britain's Got Talent 'edits out sword swallowing' performance after tragic East London stabbing
ITV's Britain's Got Talent has reportedly axed footage of a sword-swallowing act in the wake of the tragic stabbing of 14 year old Daniel Anjorin in Hainault, East London. The young schoolboy was fatally attacked on his way to school, in an incident that also saw four others injured, including two police officers.
As the nation continues to reel from the brutal murder of Daniel, the teen has been remembered by friends as "wonderful" and a diligent student. In light of these events, producers have decided to cut scenes featuring Heather Holliday, a professional sword swallower, from Saturday's broadcast.
Heather, who holds the title of 'The World's Craziest Sword Swallower' from Guinness World Records, is known for her jaw-dropping act of swallowing multiple solid steel swords in front of live audiences, and is said to have impressed judges Simon Cowell, Amanda Holden, Alesha Dixon, and Bruno Tonioli, during her audition.
However, the show has since made a sensitive decision to cut a sword swallowing act from its upcoming episode in response to the recent violent events in London, reports the Mirror.
An insider revealed to MailOnline: "Producers felt, following the devastating attacks this week, it would be wrong to air the stunt act this weekend. The edit was changed and it is absolutely right for show bosses to pull the act from episode four."
Adding to the conversation, another source from the show shared: "Following the horrific murder of Daniel Anjorin this week, Britain's Got Talent acted quickly with making the necessary changes to Saturday night's show."
They continued, explaining the rationale behind the decision: "Given the brutality of the crime and the nature of Heather Holliday's act, it was decided she wouldn't feature during episode four. It is nothing the contestant has done, but bosses felt it would send the wrong message at this extremely difficult time for the families and those who have been affected by the tragic events of this week."
OK! has reached out to ITV for comment.
Heather Holliday, the performer at the centre of the controversy, has previously spoken about her high-risk performance, saying: "Sword swallowing is quite dangerous. One of the things that drew me to it though, I take it very seriously and take all the precautions I can, but I still do things to amplify the danger."
Marcus Aurelio Arduini Monzo, 36, has been arrested and charged with Daniel’s murder, after it was alleged that he used a samurai sword during his rampage on Tuesday.
Monzo, who faced accusations in court, did not submit a plea during his appearance at Westminster Magistrates' Court on Thursday May 1, where he remains in custody and is scheduled for a subsequent hearing at the Old Bailey on Tuesday May 7.
During an emotional interview on LBC radio, Police Commissioner Sir Mark Rowley expressed his deepest sympathies for the family of the 14 year old victim, saying: "The first thing you have to say is for the parents involved, who've lost their 14-year-old, and that is just horrific, and it's everyone's worst nightmare. I'm sure we're all thinking about them."
Daniel has been remembered in reports as a "quiet" and "nice" boy who tragically was "in the wrong place at the wrong time".
Britain's Got Talent continues Saturday May 4 at 7:30pm on ITV and ITVX
