Simon Cowell: "I Propelled Cheryl Cole Into A Different League"

2 May 2012, 09:54

The music mogul admits he would like to reverse decision to drop her as X Factor judge.

Simon Cowell has claimed he "propelled" Cheryl Cole into a "different league" during their time together on The X Factor.

The music mogul hired the Girls Aloud star as a judge on the programme between 2008 and 2010, before taking her to America for The X Factor USA in 2011.

But Cheryl was dropped from the show during the audition stage, sparking a reported rift between the pair, which has since been resolved.

Speaking in this month's edition of GQ magazine, Simon said: "Even though we went through that pretty horrible period, I could look Cheryl in the eye and say what I did for her in those two years propelled her into a different league."

Simon added that if he could change what happened, he would, and that the door was "permanently open" for her to return.

"It was an in-the-moment decision where you put your producer's hat on. I just thought she was more comfortable on the UK show," he said.

"She was hurt. It all ended pretty badly, to be honest."

Meanwhile, speaking to Capital FM, Cheryl has denied reports that she planned to write a book that would tell-all about her friendship with Simon.

She said: "I heard that too that I'm writing a book on Simon. I mean, as if his head couldn't get any bigger when he read that. The hair exploded. He'd be lucky if he got a footnote on my book."

Cheryl's new album 'A Million Lights' is released in June and features the single 'Call My Name'.