Simon Cowell: I was stupid to sack Cheryl

Simon Cowell has admitted he was ‘stupid’ for firing Cheryl Cole after grovelling for her to return to end his X Factor ratings hell.

The 54-year-old came clean over Cole’s departure from the US version of the show in 2011 in an exclusive chat with Guilty Pleasures.

‘I made too many stupid decisions and I’ll own up to it, sacking Cheryl was one of them,’ he said. ‘It was a silly decision. Of course I was wrong and I don’t mind admitting when I am wrong.

‘If I could turn the clock back, I would do it differently, if I am honest. But I can’t.

‘I realised I wanted to make the show close to where we left it. It was a fantastic year. And I had to get Cheryl back.’

The X Factor pulled in its highest ever ratings in 2010 with Cowell and Cole on the judging panel – drawing 20million viewers. Now he’s determined the next series of The X Factor will overtake BBC’s Strictly Come Dancing.

‘We’re back to get this show back to No.1. For me the ratings are important, I’m not going to lie.

‘If we are second to Strictly I am going to be disappointed,’ he admits.

But if Cole’s return doesn’t appeal to everyone, Cowell has another trump card up his sleeve – another surprise woman to spice up the line-up.

‘Louis is considering a sex change,’ he joked, adding the 61-year-old Irishman would make a good stand-in as a female judge. ‘I could see Louis in a wig,’ he said.

[Originally published Metro, Guilty Pleasures, Tuesday 11 March 2014]

Cheryl Cole: Simon begged to have me back

Cheryl Cole is taking great delight in explaining just how much begging Simon Cowell had to do to seal her return to The X Factor.

Bridges between the 30-year-old Geordie lass and her former boss seemed to have been burned for good when she was dumped from the US version of the show after just three weeks.

However, Cowell, 54, appears to have resorted to emotional blackmail to convince Chezza to come back.

‘There’s only so much begging I could take. It’s not nice to see a grown man cry,’ Cole told Guilty Pleasures at London’s glitzy Dover Street Arts Club. ‘The begging went on for a few years.’

Metro revealed back in November that the singer was handed £1.4million compensation from US X Factor bosses over her humiliating sacking back in 2011.

While the cash from her court victory may have softened the blow, the pop beauty says she is not bitter about the past.

‘I don’t hold grudges. I remember facts. And the facts I remember are I won my first two series and I had two in the final of the last series, so the rest of the stuff is irrelevant,’ she said.

And despite reports of a £1.5million deal to tempt her back for the 11th year of the British show, Chezza swears the seven figures are not her motivation.

‘I’m excited to find talent again. Actually, that’s the thing I love the most, it’s discovering the talent. I thrive off that. It just felt like the right time now,’ she said.

With two seats remaining to be filled, Cheryl has been quick to deny reports she doesn’t want another girl on board.

‘There are people I would love to join on the panel. Especially a strong woman, preferably. I’m kind of hoping I don’t have to deal with three guys otherwise I may be appearing on a Saturday night with no hair because I’ve pulled it out,’ she laughed.

[Originally published Metro, Guilty Pleasures, Tuesday 11 March 2014]

Louis Walsh: I tell Tulisa to behave but she doesn’t listen

Louis Walsh has revealed he has given axed X Factor judge Tulisa Contostavlos a shoulder to cry on after her alleged drugs bust.

The pair struck up an unlikely friendship during the two years they sat together on the famous panel, with the 60-year-old Irishman still keeping in contact with the troubled N Dubz star, 25.

‘She is a nice kid. She got bad press, but she is a good kid,’ he said, defending the singer after her recent drugs bust ordeal.

‘I texted her last night, I told her to behave cos I saw those pictures of her on the beach.

‘But she won’t listen,’ he went on, making reference to Tulisa’s birthday celebrations in Ibiza.

Louis also went on to say he feels sad that she never got to work with his returning co-judge Sharon Osbourne as he things she would have been a positive influence.

‘I think she is a really nice girl. I like her an awful lot and the one woman who could have tamed Tulisa is sitting beside me now.’

As the longest running member of The X Factor panel, Louis – who has held a chair on all ten series of the show – is keen to get back on screens this autumn as he watches the new hopefuls.

‘It is my jubilee,’ he said, jubilantly, adding: ‘I love doing it, it is the best job in the world when you are on it.’

[Originally published Metro Guilty Pleasures 17 July 2013]

Sharon Osbourne: I used sex factor to get back judges seat

Sharon Osbourne has joked that she had to get down on both knees to win back her X Factor job off Simon Cowell.

The 60-year-old reality star told Guilty Pleasures it was the best way to heal her rift with the TV boss after she said he had ‘small-penis syndrome’ last year.

‘I said “if I suck your d*** can I get the job?” And he said “of course”,’ she cackled.

‘It was very simple, very simple. There we are.’

Shaz was keen to set the record straight on her fall out with the 53-year-old X Factor boss.

‘I only said that because he said he didn’t like working with me in his book so I thought I would say something mean,’ she said, referencing his unauthorised book Sweet Revenge: The Intimate Life of Simon Cowell.

‘That is how we are like in our relationship, we have underlying respect but if he says something mean then I will go “take that”. Doesn’t everyone dread that being said about them?’

However she went on to say she doesn’t care for Cowell’s appendage in reality.

‘I don’t care what size his d*** is. I should give a s***. The thing is I knew how to get him and he knew how to get me,’ she laughed.

[Originally published Metro Guilty Pleasures 17 July 2013]

Nicole Scherzinger: I’m lonely and single after Lewis Hamilton split

Lonely singleton Nicole Scherzinger has revealed she is struggling to adjust to life after splitting with long-term lover Lewis Hamilton.

The Don’t Hold Your Breath singer, 35, has revealed she is glad to have The X Factor and her music to distract her from her heartache.

She told Metro: ‘Fortunately I love the people here and they give me so much love back, because I don’t have anyone here, I don’t have my family, I don’t even have any friends here. My publicist is my closest friend.’

Nicole is looking forward to catching up with her former protégé Rylan, who will also be able to help heal her pain after splitting with Lewis, 28, last month.

‘He’s my new date!’ the former Pussycat Doll laughed, adding: ‘I talked to him last night and we’re trying to figure out when we can go out for dinner. And he’s so busy every night. I’m so happy for him.’

Nicole is also thrilled to have Sharon Osbourne on the X Factor panel, saying ‘She has brought out the worst in all of us in the best way.’

But if fans expect fireworks to fly between the two powerful women, they are going to be disappointed as the two get on famously.

‘I love Sharon. She brought me on to The X Factor. I was her mentor at her house in Beverley hills many years ago,’ she said, recalling series four of the show.

‘She just kind of took me under her wing and she is really lovely as a woman. It’s really nice to see other women in the industry who are kind and give empowerment to others. That’s rare.’

Nicole went on to explain the value of having another woman on her side, saying: ‘Girls, we’re catty and there’s insecurity but she’s a special breed, she’s just awesome. She’s just outrageous and fun and a riot.’

[Originally published Metro Guilty Pleasures 16 July 2013]

Loveable Rogues: We’d take an egg for BGT Simon Cowell

Loveable Rogues have joked they are contractually obliged to protect Simon Cowell.

The boys, Eddie Brett, 21, Sonny Jay, 19, and Te Eugene, also 19, revealed they were as shocked as everyone else by violinist Natalie Holt’s egg attack at the BGT final.

‘Thing is, I wanted to dive in front of them. I’d take an egg for [Simon],’ joked Sonny talking to Guilty Pleasures at the Capital Summertime Ball at London’s Wembley Stadium today.

‘It must be in our contract that we have to take an egg,’ added Eddie, revealing the boys were in the audience at Saturday’s final.

‘Everyone thought it was part of the show,’ said Sonny. ‘And she threw about six before anybody did anything’

Revealing how she got the eggs into the venue at the final, Eddie disclosed: ‘She took them out of her violin case’

‘She could have had a gun,’ added Te, sounding genuinely alarmed.

While Sonny revealed his label boss did well to downplay the drama of the night, saying: ‘Simon Cowell handled it so well. He made a yolk of it. I mean a joke of it!’

[Originally published Metro Guilty Pleasures 9 June 2013]