Simon Cowell reveals the only way The X Factor could return

11.04.2022 - 12:31 / ok.co.uk

Simon Cowell has opened up about whether The X Factor could ever return. The ITV singing competition ran for 17 years and scouted musicians including Little Mix, One Direction, Olly Murs and Harry Styles, before it was cancelled last year. Simon, 62, told The Sun that if the show did ever return he would strip it “back to basics” and format the show similar to how it began in 2004.

"When we first started the show it was very simple with unique elements. I'd argue you can't make a better music show than that," he explained. Get exclusive celebrity stories and reality tv news straight to your inbox with OK! daily newsletter .

You can sign up at the top of the page. "I have an expression though – if you're going to go to a party, have an invitation. You want to feel people are excited at the thought of The X Factor returning." Simon also revealed he would focus more on mentoring new talent, as it “didn’t really happen in the way I’d have liked”.

He added: "I'd also probably bring in about 10 young kids who want to get into the music business and ask them to shadow us for the season. "The one thing I promised myself going forward is that I want to be more of a mentor.The only good thing of getting older is you have a lot of experience and it's not always about the things you did well – it's also about the things you didn't." The famously critical judge admitted he would also address some of the issues on the show and named himself and his fellow judges’ salaries as one. He said: "The salaries got out of whack.

I'd be a hypocrite if I said I hadn't made a lot of money. "But it got too crazy. And, going back to The X Factor, I'm not even sure artists should be judging other artists.