A SPELLBINDING performance from a Penarth youngster saw her given a second chance to wow the judges of Britain’s Got Talent.

Jodi Bird not only gained four yes votes from the judges during her audition, but also an apology from head judge Simon Cowell after he cut her off during her first rendition of ‘Don’t Rain on my Parade’.

Simon Cowell had asked her to sing “something else a little less smiley and just a better song” as it looked like her hopes of making it through to the next round had crumbled at the first attempt.

But in a dramatic turnaround Jodi Bird blew away the judges at the second attempt as she was praised for battling back to bring the crowd to their feet.

Amanda Holden said she had “rained all over Simon’s parade” and that she did “brilliantly well”.

Simon Cowell apologised for cutting her off during her first attempt and praised her for bouncing back, saying that it was his intention that she came back with more determination.

David Walliams added that she had more passion as she was proving a point.

Jodi Bird, of Andrew Road, said she was “devastated” when Simon Cowell cut her off, but that it just made her even more determined to impress the judges at her second attempt.

“Everything I had done was leading up to that moment,” she said.

“I had rehearsed and practiced for so many hours and it could have gone down the drain.

“I thought that was the end.”

She added: “When I listened to the judges and their positive comments it showed what music is all about.

“He doesn’t often let people sing again so I was very lucky.

“When he said he was sorry it was incredible.

“Inside I was terrified, but on the outside I looked calm. I don’t know how I was doing it.”

Friends and family crammed into the Merrie Harrier pub on Saturday night to watch Jodi in action.

It was a nail-biting experience for the family as the hit show was delayed by the FA Cup Final going into extra time.

Fluent Welsh speaker Jodi, who attends Ysgol Bro Morgannwg in Barry, said it was “weird and surreal” seeing herself on national television after her successful audition back in January.

“I was lucky to have such good support from family and friends,” she said.

“Everybody was screaming and crying and there was just was so much excitement.”

She added that it had been a whirlwind few days since her performance, with interviews for national newspapers and television programmes, as well as being recognised in the street after she was thrust into the spotlight.

“I went to London to be on This Morning and people were stopping me in the street saying they recognised me from Britain’s Got Talent,” she said.

“It’s really lovely to think that people have heard it and enjoyed watching it.”

She added that on the spur of the moment she changed the lyrics from ‘Mister Arnstein’ to ‘Mr Cowell’, and that she hoped her performance proved to him that musical theatre still has a place in the modern day.

After the performance she gained rave reviews from the judges and she has now been tipped to go on and win the whole competition, with bookmaker slashing her odds and her performance being watched nearly 250,000 times online.

Jodi, who is in the middle of sitting her GCSE exams, has been juggling rehearsals with revision as she hopes to make it through to the live finals. All will be revealed this weekend when the judges narrow down their selections on Sunday, May 25.