Simon Cowell tells Amanda Holden she's being replaced on BGT in Radio 1 prank

Britain's Got Talent host Amanda Holden came in for quite a shock when her boss Simon Cowell told her she was to be replaced on the show by Cheryl Fernandez-Versini - because the singer is "younger".

Fortunately for Holden she was to discover that the call was a prank for Nik Grimshaw's Radio 1 breakfast show.

However, that was not before she claimed she would be "crying" while watching the Girls Aloud star take on judging duties in her place.

As he proposed Fernandez-Versini could step in on certain days, Cowell said: "Look, [Cheryl's] younger, and because she's a singer I think what it will do is it will bring in a different audience. And then when you come back, it's kind of like they've missed you."

After a clearly disappointed Holden accepted the decision, Cowell then took it one step further, suggesting axed Top Gear host Jeremy Clarkson could also stand in for David Walliams in the show's semi-final.

However, that didn't arouse her suspicions and eventually Cowell came clean - with Holden later tweeting that she "nearly died from shock" during the hoax.