X Factor: Cowell tells acts to buck up

X Factor: Cowell tells acts ‘You’ve no chance of being stars unless attitudes change’

FURIOUS Simon Cowell has told every X Factor contestant – keep on like this and you will never be a star.

Executive producer Cowell, 51, went over the judges’ heads to blast the acts in a video conference call. He had grown concerned over their quality and dedication and told them: “Enough is enough”.

In a bid to rescue the show amid falling ratings, he brutally told some singers they had “no chance” of getting a recording deal unless they improved dramatically. In the Skype call, Cowell said he “wasn’t happy” and things had to change immediately.

He told the acts: “This is your one chance. You have to take control and stamp your authority on the show.”

He then winked at the contestants and said: “It’s OK to be a diva sometimes. They get what they want.”

Executive producer Cowell, 52, let the acts know he was “not happy” and things had to change “with immediate effect”.

He declared: “This is your one chance. You have to take control of the situation and stamp your authority on the show. A lot of you are not doing that right now. Come up with your own ideas and demonstrate you are a recording artist.”

It was the first time Cowell, who has just landed a second series of X Factor in the US, had spoken directly to this year’s finalists.

It shows he and ITV are taking the drop in ratings seriously.

Last week, Saturday’s X Factor was beaten in the ratings by Strictly Come Dancing for the first time since 2008.