The dance troupe’s Black Lives Matter-inspired routine has prompted more than 23,000 complaints to broadcasting watchdog Ofcom.
Dixon told the Daily Mirror: “On the day of the performance, the camera didn’t actually pan to the judges and I was sitting there in floods of tears.
“I had this overwhelming feeling of, ‘Wow I can’t believe I am watching this on BGT’. It felt really important.”
Diversity’s routine saw a man in a police uniform kneel on star Ashley Banjo, echoing the killing of unarmed black man George Floyd, while other dancers performed with police riot shields.
It is close to becoming the most complained-about TV moment of the decade and Ofcom is deciding whether to investigate.
ITV has said it “stands behind the decision to broadcast Diversity’s performance on BGT”.
In a video message on Instagram, Banjo previously said that while “the headlines have been about the complaints and the negativity… the negativity is the minority”.
View this post on InstagramIn the present moment though there is still so much to say… But I will Just let this performance say it for me. For the thousands of supportive messages of Love and inclusion – Thank you 🙏🏽🖤 And for the thousands of messages of hate and ignorance I’ve received – Thank you… You highlight exactly what needs to change and why this was so important to me and the rest of @diversity_official Sending nothing but love and positive vibes to everyone 🙏🏽🇬🇧 Stronger together ✊🏿✊🏻✊🏽 #wearediversity #change #nextchapterA post shared by Ashley Banjo (@ashleybanjogram) on Sep 6, 2020 at 5:36am PDT
“The positive response has been huge. So thank you so much to everyone who has supported, shown love, and stood by what we did.”
Banjo, who is standing in on the show for Simon Cowell as he recovers from his electric bike accident, added: “We stand by every single decision we made with that performance… I’m proud.”
Dixon said of Banjo: “He is the perfect person to step in for Simon – and talk about making an impact on your first week!”
