Simon Cowell has insisted his ‘Mr Nasty’ personality is not really him.
The music mogul says the persona was created by American Idol producers and he ‘hated’ it.
Simon rose to fame on Pop Idol in the UK and the American version in 2001 and 2002.
He quickly became known for his no-nonsense attitude but Simon claimed this week: “I was not grumpy the whole time.
“They just decided, the producers, it would be funnier to make me looking miserable and it was sort of an accident.”
He confessed to the Daily Mirror newspaper: “I found the process so miserable, I hated it.”
Meanwhile, Simon recently revealed he’s planning for son Eric to takeover his TV empire.
Music mogul Simon says he can see Eric one day sitting behind the judges desk of Britain’s Got Talent.
Simon said: “I look at things through his eyes now.
“I want to spend more time with him. I’m lucky because he likes the shows, so he comes down to them with me. I’m sort of training him up.”
In an interview with The Sun newspaper, Simon said he’d “love” for Eric to takeover on the show.
“Oh, a million per cent. I think about that all the time. I would love him to take over. He’s really confident,” Simon explained. “When he comes down here he knows what everybody does. He likes being in the gallery. That will be my dream.”
Simon is currently appearing on The X Factor Saturday and Sunday nights on ITV. The latest live show takes place this weekend with a Big Band theme and guest acts Cheryl and Tom Walker.
