Simon Cowell 'Britney and I had a love affair on the phone'
Thursday 13 September 2012
During an interview on an American chat show, Simon Cowell spoke fondly of his new X Factor USA judge, Britney Spears, saying they'd had 'a telephone love affair' when he was trying to persuade her to join the show.
As they sat together on the sofa during the interview with Jimmy Kimmel, it was clear that Simon felt protctive of his new judge - answering questions on her behalf and telling presenter Jimmy Kimmel that the pop stars reputation meant he was shocked to find she was 'absolutely charming, sweet and humble'.
He continued to describe his delight at getting the singer on board, saying 'it was a massive coup' to bag his new judge.
Britney revealed she decided to come on board despite contract negotiations not being finalised after being charmed by Simon during their phone conversations. Speaking of her new boss she said 'I had thought he (Simon) was kind of rude before speaking to him but when I talked to him on the phone he was a total sweetheart - I fell in love with him'.
And asked whether there was sexual attraction between the pair, Simon responded in the affirmative, saying it was totally one sided - his!
But despite the mutual love in, comedian Kimmel still found time to poke fun at the music mogul, mocking him several times for revealing his chest hair, with Simon eventually buttoning himself up.
Discussing rumours that Khloe Kardashian would be involved in hosting the live show, Simon confirmed it was a strong possibility saying he liked the idea of throwing someone into the lions den - and adding that if she were involved she would be joined by another host.
The first episode of The X Factor USA preimiered on Wednesday 12th September - with judges Simon, Britney, Demi Lovato and LA Jackson pulling in audiences of 7.5 million.
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