Britain’s Got Talent judge KSI is locked in an ugly feud with former footballer Wayne Bridge as their planned boxing match has been called off following cruel taunts
KSI has been locked in a nasty feud with Wayne Bridge that shows no signs of slowing down.
The YouTube sensation and Britain’s Got Talent judge was set to fight former Chelsea and Manchester City player Wayne next month. However, Wayne dramatically withdrew from the competition with just weeks to go. They were due to square off in a Misfits boxing bout on March 29, however KSI’s cruel jibes got in the way.
The pair had met in the ring last month in Manchester when KSI, real name Olajide William Olatunji, decided to taunt Wayne about his personal life. In front of a huge crowd, KSI poked fun at Wayne about his ex-girlfriend and her alleged affair with former teammate John Terry.
Wayne, who is now married to The Saturday’s Frankie Bridge, previously dated French model Vanessa Perroncel while playing for Chelsea. Their relationship broke down amid allegations that his teammate John Terry allegedly had an affair with Vanessa, who denies the claim.
KSI resurfaced the sandal in an effort to get under his rival’s skin as he teased: “Aren’t you the guy that let John Terry smash your ex?” Wayne replied: “You want to go there straightaway do you?” KSI continued: “I’m pretty sure that’s what you’re known for.” The BGT judge started a chant of ‘Vanessa woah, Vanessa woah’, referencing the former footballer’s ex-girlfriend, who shares a son with Wayne.
Following the fracas, Wayne announced that he wished to protect his family from such comments and will seek another challenge in the ring later down the line. Announcing he would not be fighting KSI in March, he said: “I’m sure a lot of you have seen what happened on Saturday night at the Misfits Boxing event.
“Firstly, I think it’s important that I explain my reason for accepting the fight. I always like to challenge myself. This felt like a good opportunity to go up against an interesting opponent on a big stage. I have always loved boxing as part of my everyday training routine. I was fully prepared to train hard and have some fun. Of course, I expected to face some criticism, but I feel like what was said on Saturday crossed a line. These are deeply personal comments that affect mine and other families involved in the situation. I’m a family man first and my priority is protecting them.”
He turned on KSI and added: “My opponent is someone that many children look up to around the world, including my kids. I hope one day he will look back on this differently. I personally don’t want to be involved in these situations. I will no longer be fighting on March 29. I’m still looking out for my next big challenge and have some exciting things coming up in 2025.”
Wayne and ex Vanessa were in a relationship from 2005 until 2009, and during their romance they welcomed a son named Jaydon Jean Claude Bridge – who arrived in November 2006. Frankie and Wayne embarked on their relationship in late 2011 and they welcomed their first son together, Parker, in October 2013. They married the following year and then welcomed second son, Carter, in August 2015.
Last week, KSI spoke out following his taunt to Wayne as he refused to apologise. In an interview with Ariel Helwani, KSI said: “When I’m on stage, I’m on there essentially as a character to, I don’t know, I was just trying to create pay-per-view, create drama, create action. I wanted him to hate me. I wanted him to instantly be like, ‘What? This guy. What is he doing? F*** this guy. I want to knock him out.’
“I didn’t expect him to actually pull out completely. I was literally just trying to rile him up because I’ve had all types of things said to me, all types of things done to me. I just know at the end of the day, I’ve met him before and I was pretty civil. There’s literally a YouTube video where I met him and we were chill. No anger, no hate towards each other it was all bless. But then obviously, when I’m fighting you I’m going to do everything I can to get under your skin and I’m going to literally make this event. I’m going to make this as big as possible and there are buttons I can press to get your riled up, I’m going to press them. That’s just it.”
Like this story? For more of the latest showbiz news and gossip, follow Mirror Celebs on TikTok, Snapchat, Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, YouTubeand Threads.