WHY I AXED LOUIS AND KATE
10/03/07
SIMON Cowell has revealed how he was forced to treat the X Factor like Corrie – by changing the cast to keep it a ratings hit.
The multi-millionaire exclusively revealed he was under pressure from ITV to shake up the show, and that meant judge Louis Walsh and host Kate Thornton getting the boot.
The news stunned fans and viewers, with many thinking Cowell was living up to his nickname of telly’s Mr Nasty.
But the record boss, who spoke to the Daily Star from his luxury pad in Los Angeles, said it was not all his doing.
He revealed: “ITV wanted to make some changes to the show. They likened it to Coronation Street.
“You have to change and add to the cast every couple of years. It’s how you keep a show successful.”
This meant the 47-year-old record chief was pushed into a corner to change the show’s personnel when it returns this summer.
Two new judges will sit alongside Cowell and Sharon Osbourne, 54, and there will also be a new host.
Asked why Westlife boss Walsh, 54, had been sacked, Cowell said: “The honest answer is we tried to keep Louis.
“But he couldn’t commit to another season. He has a lot of things on the go, like the Boyzone reunion.”
On 34-year-old Kate’s shock exit – which confirmed rumours which first circulated last year – Cowell was coy.
He was one of the first to dismiss stories about her being given the push and he has now hinted that he would have kept her if it had been up to him.
But he admitted: “Like I said … ITV wanted changes.”
Of the new-look show, Cowell added: “There will be four judges. I know there have already been a lot of names put about. But the decision hasn’t been made.
“However, it’s fair to say there are a number of people under consideration.”
Cowell refused to be drawn on names in the frame such as Chris Moyles, 33, La Toya Jackson, 50, or Paula Abdul, 44.
He smiled: “There are a lot of people being considered, that’s all I can say.”
On the topic of Kate’s replacement, he was also tight-lipped although TV insiders think Ben Shepherd, 31, Patrick Kielty, 36, and Dermot O’Leary, 33, are contenders.
Ahead of the start of the X Factor auditions next month, Cowell is still busy filming the TV series American Idol.
And for the first time in the show’s history, he is staging a special charity bash to help children and young people in extreme poverty in America and Africa.
American Idol is joining forces with the Fox TV network and the Charity Projects Entertainment Fund (CPEF) to hold a two-night fund-raiser on April 24 and 25.
The shows, dubbed Idol Gives Back, will feature the remaining six finalists from the talent show performing “life anthems” – songs about hope and compassion.
And joining them for the event will be a host of stars including Gwen Stefani, 37, Pink, 27, Michael Bublé, 31, Annie Lennox, 52, and Il Divo.
Even comic creation, Kazakhstan journalist Borat Sagdiyev (Sacha Baron Cohen, 35), will appear.
The event is the brainchild of comedy writer and charity campaigner Richard Curtis, 50, who has also been behind Comic Relief in the UK.
Cash raised from phone votes during the TV bash will go to helping youngsters.
Cowell said: “When Richard Curtis comes knocking on your door it is hard to say no, to be honest. But I said to him if it is in America we have to make sure that American charities are properly looked after.
“So a lot of the money raised will benefit charities within the US, such as Hurricane Katrina rebuilding.”
Cowell and American Idol host Ryan Seacrest, 32, recently travelled to Africa to see for themselves the poverty and disease there – as well as the schemes that are under way to fight them.
He added:“It was the longest day of my life. But these people have to live it every day.”
Fans can find out more by logging on to
http://www.americanidol.com/idolgivesback.
Daily Star
