Simon Cowell was spotted swigging a beer with his partner Lauren Silverman in the back of a taxi as they headed home after the first Britain’s Got Talent semi-final.

The talent scout, 64, was beaming as he left the Hammersmith Apollo on Monday following the show – which saw opera singer Innocent Masuku and Sslaubi Performance Troupe make it through to the final.

Taking time to unwind amid the busy week ahead, Simon was seen enjoying a Corona beer in the back of the taxi with his partner of 11 years Lauren – who he shares son Eric, 10, with.

Meanwhile, Ant McPartlin and Declan Donnelly opted for matching poses as they both jumped in their own taxis home after the show.

The presenting duo appeared to have taken separate journeys home from the show, but despite this both smiled widely and waved to the camera on their way.

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Simon Cowell was spotted swigging a beer with his partner Lauren Silverman in the back of a taxi as they headed home after the first Britain’s Got Talent semi-final on Monday

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The talent scout, 64, was beaming as he left the Hammersmith Apollo on Monday following the show

Also seen after the show was judge Bruno Tonioli, who blew a kiss to fans from a balcony at the venue.

Monday’s live semi-final saw opera singer Innocent Masuku sail straight into Sunday’s final after the public vote.

Meanwhile the judges chose Sslaubi Performance Troupe as the second act to bag a place.

Fans of the show were blown away by Innocent’s vocal prowess, hailing him an ‘absolute star’, while others called Sslaubi’s performance ‘mesmerising’.

But the two chosen finalists divided viewers, with some complaining that the South African singer and Korean martial arts group were not British.

This year’s talent show has been awash with complaints over international acts being invited to audition for the show, and viewers on Monday were no different as they took to social media to voice their frustrations.

After six weeks of auditions, the live semi-finals kicked off as eight acts competed with one another in the hope of landing themselves a valuable place in Sunday’s grand finale.

A further eight entrants will feature each night of the week before the final, with two acts from each evening making it through – one decided from a public vote and the second decided by the judges.

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Taking time to unwind amid the busy week ahead, Simon was seen enjoying a Corona beer in the back of the taxi with his partner of 11 years Lauren

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View gallery

Meanwhile, Ant McPartlin and Declan Donnelly opted for matching poses as they both jumped in their own taxis home after the show

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View gallery

The presenting duo appeared to have taken separate journeys home from the show

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View gallery

But despite this both smiled widely and waved to the camera on their way

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View gallery

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Also seen after the show was judge Bruno Tonioli, who blew a kiss to fans from a balcony at the venue

The winner will get a life-changing £250,000 cash prize and a spot on the bill of the Royal Variety Performance.

The eight acts who performed on Monday night were Sven Smith, The Trickstars, Trey Braine, Sslaubi Performance Troupe, Taryn Charles, Bikoon, Stardust and Innocent Masuku.

Earlier in the show, Simon’s Golden Buzzer act were given the boot after he savagely turned on them. 

Viewers were stunned as he told Ukrainian stunt roller skaters Duo Stardust he was disappointed in their performance, prompting series fans to ask if the seemingly mellowed talent show judge’s acid tongue had returned.

Married couple Vlada and Yevhenii were voted by Simon as his second Golden Buzzer act during Sunday’s episode but they were kicked out of the competition by the viewing public after they failed to get enough votes on Monday.

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Britain’s Got Talent viewers were left divided over the two acts sent through to the final after the first live show on Monday

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Monday’s live semi-final saw opera singer Innocent Massuki sail straight into Sunday’s final after the public vote, while the judges chose Sslaubi Performance Troupe (pictured) as the second act to bag a place

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Taking to X, formerly Twitter, they said: ‘Don’t mind if the contestants aren’t Brits if they live here but by all accounts, tonight’s winners flew into the UK just for this competition. If correct it’s just wrong,’

Innocent Masuku delivers stunning rendition of song from Gladiator

Their first audition in front of the judges – Simon, Amanda Holden, Alesha Dixon and Bruno – involved Yevhenii spinning Vlada around by her ankles while circling on his skates, before they were hoisted into the air on a high-wire as fireworks on the back of Vlada’s skates lit up the theatre.

Simon said: ‘This was great. It wasn’t as good as the audition though.’

As the audience booed him, Simon continued: ‘I’m disappointed and I’ll tell you why.

‘I think you let the production overshadow your talent tonight which is a real shame.’