Cowell 'sorry' for criticising Andrea and Lauren
Simon Cowell has apologised to Andrea Faustini and Lauren Platt for his harsh criticism.
The 'X Factor' boss slammed the two contestants for their performances on the show on Saturday, but he has now admitted he was just in a bad mood and took it out on the wrong people.
He said: "I had a bad night. I had a really bad headache, I was really grumpy. I want to apologise to Andrea and Lauren because I wasn't being fair."
Simon - who returned to the judging panel this year after leaving in 2011 to launch the US version of the show - is very impressed by the talent on this year's show and is still unsure who could win.
He said: "I think the talent's been great. It's not like last year when it was a one-horse race -- everyone knew Sam Bailey was going to win.
"This year there are five or six people left who could arguably win."
And he credits the judges on the programme, himself, Mel B, Cheryl Fernandez-Versini and Louis Walsh, for the contestants doing so well.
He told The Sun newspaper: "Mel has shown tremendous passion and protectiveness to her contestants.
"She really takes the mentoring very seriously. She's been a revelation.
"Cheryl gets incredibly emotional and protective about whoever she's left with, and I know from the phone calls that happened.
"She's always fretting about the songs.
"And Louis is always the dark horse. You think, at one point, all your acts are going to go in the first four weeks. And, suddenly, at the end, he's still got two left.
"I don't know whether it's the luck of the Irish or if he's playing some sort of weird game with us. But, again, he's very, very passionate about his acts, he really is."
Meanwhile, Simon - whose girlfriend Lauren Silverman gave birth to his first child, son Eric, in February - appeared unimpressed by Cheryl's recent comment she will have to choose between having a child with new husband Jean-Bernard Fernandez-Versini or returning to 'The X Factor' next year.
Quizzed on her remarks, he said only: "Well, I had one."
