BRITAIN’S Got Talent finalists Spartans say safety concerns forced them to pull out of a headline performance at the SECC in Glasgow on Monday night.

The Dunfermline gymnasts had top billing for the Scottish Variety Gala Performance but said officials’ shoddy organisation left them with no choice but to cancel. 

Head coach Shelagh Glover said the youngsters, including one lad who left a family wedding in Cyprus early in order to make the show, were left without stage space to rehearse safely.

She said: “The team were so disappointed but the whole thing was just a disaster from the start. 

“We were due to rehearse for an hour at 1pm and it just kept getting put back and then put back again until we had 15 minutes before the show was due to start. 

“When the boys were somersaulting they were landing at the end of the stage and when I asked them if they were happy, they said they were going to get hurt. 

“I had no choice but to tell the SECC that we couldn’t perform.”

The Spartans received national attention earlier this year when they got to the final six of ITV show Britain’s Got Talent. Judge Amanda Holden described them as “like Game of Thrones with crash mats”.

Sheelagh added: “The most disappointing aspect is that our team captain, Jack Duffy, flew back early from his brothers’s wedding in Cyprus just for this. 

“He’s really upset that he had to give up such an important personal event for this no-show. But all the guys put hours in at the gym for no reason. 

“We kept being told that we were the stars of the show but the parents felt that the emphasis was just put on the singers taking part. 

“The singers were taking hours to rehearse but the organisers needed to realise that it would be much better if a singer dropped a note in the show rather than one of gymnasts suffered a broken limb.”

Ross Gunning, producer of the Scottish Variety Gala Performance, said: “The evening turned out to be a great show and we’ve had a lot of positive feedback from the performers and audience about how much they liked it. 

“It was arranged with the Spartans over two months ago what space they needed and the stage we provided was actually bigger than they originally requested.

“It was not our decision for them to not partake in the show and I really wanted them to be involved – they are fantastic performers. 

“We tried our best to accommodate them and I even suggested that they perform in the foyer but they left us 10 minutes before the show was due to start.”