Ashleigh Butler says she's used to her talented dancing dog Pudsey getting all the attention in their latest live show.
Ashleigh and Pudsey - who won Britain's Got Talent in 2012 - are currently touring the UK with their Mission ImPUDSEYble extravaganza.
Talking to What's On TV about the show, Ashleigh said: "As long as there's an audience cheering Pudsey on and he's getting food, he’s happy. He's living the perfect life really. I'm pretty much on stage the whole time yet Pudsey goes off has a bit of a nap and then comes back on and HE gets the biggest cheer!"
She added: "Everyone says hello to Pudsey before they say hello to me but I'm used to it now - Pudsey's much cuter and fluffier than I am, so I can't blame them really."
Teasing what fans can expect from Mission ImPUDSEYble, Ashleigh said: "We've got singing, West End performers, acrobatics and Pudsey actually goes in a jet pack and drives a car. He hasn't quite passed his test yet but he only drives it for about two or three minutes each show, so we’ve got away with it so far. I’d say he likes the jet pack more though because we’re so high up, he gets to look down at all the audience and he loves it, he loves heights."
Ashleigh was quick to stress though that, throughout the show, Pudsey's welfare is of paramount importance.
"Obviously this stage show is named after Pudsey, so he has to be in it quite a lot but there’s the fine balance between him being in it enough and not too much, which is down to me," she said. "So he comes in, he does two routines, he flies, he drives a car and we also see him do the agility course as well, which is something that the audience have never seen Pudsey do before. He knows the show is all about him as well, so he really does play up to that."
Ashleigh admitted that, as with any live show, things can sometimes go wrong...
"One time the jet pack didn’t want to fly, so I was just hovering a little bit off of ground and we weren’t going anywhere," she said. "That audience were probably like: ‘That's a bit naff isn’t it?’ Nine times out of 10 we have a perfect show but every now and again something’s gotta go wrong. I've never done a show like panto or anything where something hasn't gone wrong!"
The tour continues at the Festival theatre in Malvern, Worcs, on Friday May 27 and Saturday May 28, and at The Orchard theatre in Dartford, Kent, on Sunday May 29 and Monday May 30th.
For more information on the tour, click here.
Watch our full interview with Pudsey, above…
