Michael Curry, who rocketed to fame following his stirring address at the Royal wedding, opened the Britain's Got Talent final last night with a special blessing to contestants.
The presiding bishop of the US Episcopal Church has achieved celebrity status after his passionate 14-minute sermon entitled The Power of Love was the most tweeted-about moment of the day of the royal wedding.
The address led Curry, who is descended from slaves and is the US Anglican church's first African-American head, led to him appearing on numerous chat shows and achieving celebrity status.
Afterwards he revealed that when he first received the invite to preach at the Royal wedding he thought it was a prank.
He told ITV's Good Morning Britain: 'I thought somebody was doing an April Fool's joke on me. I just didn't in my wildest imagination...'
The bishop said he 'had no idea' his speech had caused such a stir, adding: 'When I sat down from the sermon, I remember thinking to myself, "I hope that was OK".'
In a video that began the ITV show's finale, Bishop Curry said: 'Hello Britain's Got Talent. It is a joy to bring you these greetings, to all of the contestants, to the judges, to the audience, to all who make this possible.
'Thank you for what you are doing, thank you to the contestants who offer yourselves and share your talent and your gifts with the rest of us, you actually help to bring some joy and happiness.
'So, thank you, God bless you, God keep you and may God hold us all in those almighty hands of love.'
The contest was won by comedian Lost Voice Guy, who took home £250,000 and won a spot at The Royal Variety Performance. The comic, whose real name is Lee Ridley, has cerebral palsy and uses pre-recorded sentences on a computer for his stand-up act. He amazied the audience and judges with his hilarious routine in the grand final, which saw him poke fun at his disability.
'I have been blown away by the support of the judges and the general public,' he said after his win was announced.
