ITV offers refund to 'misled' viewers who voted for Jules and Matisse in Britain's Got Talent final
ITV will refund "misled" viewers who used paid voting in the Britain's Got Talent final to vote for the winning act Jules and Matisse or donate their money to charity.
It follows a ruling by broadcasting watchdog, Ofcom, which determined "ITV broke broadcasting rules by misleading viewers during the series finale".
After the show's finale earlier in June, a total of 1,175 complaints were made after it emerged that Matisse had not performed a stunning tightrope stunt because of a fear of heights.
Chase, another of Jules O'Dwyer's dogs - introduced in a previous sketch - carried out the element instead.
In a statement, ITV said there was never any intention to mislead viewers and it acknowledged some people "may wish to seek a refund or have the cost of their vote be donated in full to the Royal Variety charity."
More than 13 million viewers watched O'Dwyer and Matisse become the second dog act to win Britain's Got Talent - following Ashleigh Butler and Pudsey in 2012 - in the highest-rated final since that year.
O'Dwyer - who won a place on the Royal Variety Show as well as the £250,000 prize - later admitted she was "shocked and surprised" by the backlash to her win.
At the time, Simon Cowell admitted the incident was "c**k up", saying he "felt like a bit of an idiot".