It seems 2026 will be Olivia Dean's luckiest year after her continuous triumphs in high-profile awards ceremonies.
Despite being the biggest winning pop star at the star-studded event, the So Easy hitmaker’s shine was seemingly overshadowed by the censorship storm as ITV edited out several on-air remarks, including a "free Palestine" call and a joke involving Peter Mandelson.
The 26-year-old British singer, who kicked off the year by winning the Best New Artist award at the Grammys in January, also accepted two prestigious prizes at the glitzy gala.
According to The Independent, Olivia topped four categories of Artist of the Year, Album of the Year, Song of the Year, and Best Pop Artist.
The singer’s winning moment turned into the biggest controversy after the broadcaster removed some instances of swearing during the ceremony, held at Manchester's Co-op Live arena on Sunday, March 1st.
Host, Jack Whitehall, came under the radar of ITV’s broadcaster during his opening monologue in which he joked that the event was "swarming with celebrities" before turning to a "politician' table" gag that included a reference to Peter Mandelson, who is a British former Labour Party politician.
The controversial line did not air in ITV’s broadcast, as the managing team adopted the approach after John Davidson’s racial slur due to Tourette's syndrome, when two black actors, Michael B Jordan and Delroy Lindo, were on stage.
Later, the BBC apologised for not editing out the fiery moment from the live coverage.
