Britain's Got Talent: Ex-finalist wows judges with new dog act

Lucy Heath pictured with her five-year-old border collie, Strike

A Grantham dog trainer has returned to wow the Britain's Got Talent (BGT) judges eight years after reaching the final of the ITV show.

Lucy Heath, 38, previously finished seventh after getting through to the final in 2016 with her dog Trip Hazard.

This time around, she upped the ante by performing with four dogs, including Strike, a five-year-old border collie.

Ms Heath, who made it through to the next round with four yeses, said she was delighted to be back.

Since first appearing on the show with Trip Hazard, Ms Heath has amassed nearly two million followers on TikTok.

After appearing in the final in 2016, Trip Hazard returned to the BGT stage at the weekend

Her return at the weekend saw the trainer and her canine companions, including Trip Hazard, a Maltese and Pomeranian mix, perform an intricate dance routine to the Aladdin song - Friend Like Me.

The much-loved act previously made it to the live final in 2016.

This time around, Ms Heath said she wanted to do something "a bit different" with her dogs, The Trickstars, and hopefully go one step further and win the competition.

In an interview with the BBC, she said: "To go back on with four dogs I was hoping everyone would think another predictable dog act, and then hopefully we shocked everybody."

"We did get a rehearsal in the morning, so I thought if it's really bad I'm just going to go home," she said.

On the subject of training her four-legged friends, she added: "We use their favourite treats and their favourite toys, and it all starts alongside their basic training.

"It's sort of an extra curricular activity that I've just taken a bit further than most people, I think."

Simon Cowell said the act had left him "speechless", while Bruno Tonioli said it was "the best dog act I've ever seen".

Alesha Dixon praised the contestant for giving the competition another go.

"The fact that you decided to come back and audition on the show tells me a lot about you and your competitive spirit which I love," she said.

Amanda Holden described the dog trainer as "incredible", adding: "I can just about get my dog to go into the garden for a wee.

"This is one of the best dog acts we have ever had on the show."