X Factor: Simon Cowell Slams Cheryl And Rita Ora: 'Singers Don't Want To Find Other Stars'

Eek, handbags at dawn - Simon Cowell has seriously laid into some of The X Factor’s previous celeb judges.

We’re willing to bet that Cheryl and Rita Ora are going to be pretty furious after they hear what the music mogul has had to say about their judging credentials, with Si implying that solo singers do not make good judges on the show.

We assume that Simon isn’t counting Nicole Scherzinger in that statement considering she is a judge on the current series…

Speaking in a new interview, Simon didn’t name names but hinted that some of the singers who have graced the judging panel have been more concerned with their own careers than finding new talent.

He explained: “When you’re sitting as a judge and you’re judging these shows you have to like people. If you don’t, you can’t do this job. It’s as simple as that.

"I mean, this is one of the issues I have at the moment when you put too many singers on a judging panel.

"Singers don’t want to find other stars. It’s just not in their DNA, they only think about themselves - that is the nature of being a solo artist.

"I am a cold-hearted A&R guy, record. I own a record label. So the only thing I’m interested in is finding a star.

"Now, you put a singer in my seat and somebody ten years younger than her comes on and is better than her, she does not want her to do well. It’s a fact.”

Considering Rita won last year’s series with her act, fellow female solo artist Louisa Johnson, we’re willing to bet that she did care about finding new talent after all, but Simon has clearly chosen to overlook that.

Meanwhile, one judge who has escaped Simon’s acid tongue is Louis Walsh, who Simon admitted brought a smile to his face.

Speaking of Lou’s grand return to the panel, the father-of-one shared: “It would not be the same without Louis. I could not have done ‘X Factor’ without Louis. He has been part of the show for 10 years.

"We were friends when we first started and mates before that. I like working with Louis. He makes me laugh.”