SIMON Cowell has admitted he “didn’t have a clue” who any of Celebrity X Factor acts were before filming started on the show.
The music mogul said he didn’t want to be told which showbiz stars had been signed up to appear in the first ever all-star version of the hit ITV series before seeing them perform.
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He says he knew it was important to bring in some fresh new names to make the show a huge success.
“It just felt so obvious to do a celebrity version,” explained Simon.
“The only condition was I couldn’t know who was going to be on it.
“I said to the team, ‘You’ve got to find some acts who you believe can sell records off the back of this, because if you don’t do that it won’t work.’
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“So that was the deal and we stuck to it. I swear to God I didn’t have a clue who any of the acts were. I did walk away thinking, ‘If we’re smart, we have artists here who could actually sell records off the back of this’. So I thought that was fun and very exciting for the show.
“They do say a change is as good as a rest…”
Simon honestly recognised The X Factor needed a break after 14 years.
He said: “I think change in any aspect is good, but I was saying to someone the other day, “I’ve signed Westlife, I’ve signed
Five, El Divo, One Direction, Little Mix. They’re all groups, but they’re all different.’
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“Sometimes you’ve got to take a break of at least a year, two years between signing one kind of group and then launching another.
“And it’s the same with The X Factor. You can’t just keep making the same show that it was 14 years ago and expect it to be the same show today.
“You’ve got to take a step back for a little while.”
- The X Factor: Celebrity kicks off tonight on ITV at 8.35pm.
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