Simon Cowell didn't recognise Cheryl Fernandez-Versini on 'The X Factor USA'

Speaking about his decision to axe her from the show, he explained: "There was so much expectation on the show in America, and I definitely wasn't myself. I was uptight. When I saw her I didn't recognise her. Literally. The hair and the outfit were crazy. Just totally crazy."

The 54-year-old star thinks Cheryl's recent split from her then-husband Ashley Cole played a massive role in her lack of confidence.

Simon continued: "I asked her manager, 'What's she wearing, what's happened to her hair?' He was defensive about it. I haven't a clue why she turned up like that.

"We then did the first day of auditions, and she was nervous, shy, not in her comfort zone. She'd put on a bit of weight, but not loads.

"That wasn't the issue. The only way I can describe it is that it wasn't Cheryl sitting in that seat. She'd lost her confidence."

And despite previously claiming Cheryl - who is now married to French restaurateur Jean-Bernard Fernandez-Versini - just wasn't right for the US show, Simon's now confessed it was the programme itself that didn't work across the pond.

He told the Radio Times magazine: "There was something not quite right about that show in America."