From the moment Ashleigh Butler and her canine companion Pudsey stepped onto the Britain's Got Talent stage in 2012, it was clear that two stars had been born.
The talented duo impressed the judges straight out of the gate with their perfectly in-sync dance to Meet The Flintstones, with even tough-to-please Simon Cowell forced to declare, "Pudsey is one of the best dancing dogs I've ever seen".
The standing ovation that followed heralded the ascent of one of Britain's Got Talent's most iconic acts. Week after week, Ashleigh and Pudsey continued to wow with their elaborate routines, and it was clear this was no ordinary pooch.
It was no surprise to anyone therefore when the pair became the first dog trick act to win the competition, with their final Mission Impossible-themed routine prompting viewers to vote in their droves. Then-sixth form student Ashleigh was just 17 years old when she took home the coveted prize, and her win proved to be life-changing.
As Britain's Got Talent viewers catch up with the latest series, the Mirror takes a look at what Ashleigh and Pudsey did next....
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Movie success
It was clear the pairs were stars from the start (Justin Goff/GoffPhotos.com)
Pudsey was a natural-born movie star (Handout)A £350,000 book deal followed their victory, plus a £150,000 fee to appear in panto that Christmas. When added to their £500,000 BGT prize pot, it's clear Pudsey was never left wanting for treats.
The duo continued to enjoy plenty of post-show successes, making names for themselves in TV, film, and pantomime - and the opportunities just kept coming. They earned guests judge spots on ITV2 shows Top Dog Model and That Dog Can Dance!, and co-hosted children's show Who Let the Dogs Out?.
Super-smart Pudsey even starred in his very own film Pudsey the Dog: The Movie (2014), voiced by David Walliams, and played Duchess in the 2012 adaptation of Walliams' book, Mr Stink.
Speaking about their meteoric rise in July 2014, Ashleigh told the Mirror: "If I'm on my own, people will look at me and kind of know they recognise me from somewhere, but they're not sure. But if I'm with Pudsey, then yes, they recognise us."
First Dates
Pudsey turned jealous when Ashleigh found herself a boyfriend (David Dyson)In July 2016, Ashleigh headed into the First Dates restaurant for an episode of Celebrity First Dates. Love wasn't on the cards that night, with Ashleigh ultimately deciding against a second date, but the experience did encourage the dog trainer to think about working on more solo projects, without her canine best pal.
Asleigh said at the time: "I'm not ditching Pudsey, but hopefully I can do a few more projects on my own. Pudsey's got his own movie, so it's about time I can have some limelight. My dream would be Strictly Come Dancing."
When Ashleigh did find that special someone, however, Pudsey wasn't too pleased about it, and began to exhibit 'jealous' behaviour. That same year, Ashleigh entered into a romance with acrobat Zac Smith, who she grew close with during his time working as a dancer on her and Pudsey's tour.
Speaking with the Mirror in September 2016, smitten Ashleigh revealed: "I always said I'd never date someone in this industry, but Zac's sweet. He does back flips and has a great body. There was meeting the parents and then there's meeting Pudsey. My parents like him, but Pudsey hasn't warmed to him just yet, I think he's a little bit jealous. I hope they'll warm to each other."
Sad loss
Heartbroken Ashleigh wept as she opened up about the loss of Pudsey (Ken McKay/ITV/REX/Shutterstock)
The talented dog passed away in 2017 (Dave Hogan)Sadly, the happy times couldn't last forever and, five years after their BGT victory, it was time to say goodbye to loveable Pudsey.In 2017, heartbroken Ashleigh announced her 'best friend' Pudsey had passed away at the age of 11 after suffering from acute leukaemia.
Sharing the sad news via Instagram, Ashleigh wrote: "I can't honestly believe I am writing these words. My handsome man has gone, and I don't know what to do without him. My heart is broken, and I don't know how I'm going to get through this. It hurts so much, that my handsome, incredible Pudsey Bear will never be by my side, where he belongs, again.
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"We only had 11 years together, but they were the best years ever. He was my one-in-a-billion dog that will never be replaced. I don't need to write all of his endless accomplishments on here to prove how incredible he was for me. Sleep tight my handsome man, I love you lots xxxx."
Opening up during an emotional interview with This Morning, a tearful Ashley shared: "Pudsey was very special it was like he could read my mind. He always knew when it was a big event and he always rose up to it. [Our life] was incredible and he gave me opportunities that I thought I would never have."
New duo
Sully provided some much needed comfort after Pudsey's death (PA)Ashleigh has since gone on to compete in contests with her other trained dog Sully, who certainly had some pretty big paw prints to fill. Sully quickly proved himself to be a worthy successor, however, with the double act named champions in the Agility Heat at Crufts back in 2018. The pooch has shown himself to be a natural, whether treading the boards in panto, or making his own awe-inspiring Britain's Got Talent appearance in 2019.
Reflecting on the differences between the two dogs during a 2019 interview with The Paw Post, Ashleigh said: "They were two completely different dogs. Pudsey used to be really calm and just chill. Sully is the total opposite, like crazy. Always on. Always switched on. He likes to do everything at a million miles per hour.
"Pudsey took his time and was more precise, but he didn't do all the technical stuff that Sully does. Sully is a little bit more sensitive, whereas Pudsey was hardcore, you could put him in any situation and he was, I don't care. Sully is just that little bit more sensitive and a little bit more wary. Other than a love of agility they are the complete opposites."
The experienced canine training expert then went on to share how younger pup Sully 'stepped up' to the challenge following Pudsey's sad death, in a way that helped her cope with her loss. She explained: "Yes, it was really strange with Sully as he was very immature and there was a point that I didn't think he'd go on stage because he was very wary about his surroundings.
"When I lost Pudsey, I don't know, something clicked in him and he kind of just, he just knew to step up. He went from being the puppy and being the younger one and just being crazy. To him going, 'Okay, I know what I've got do'."
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