Inside X Factor's fresh backlash as former host reveals she was sacked and ex judge slams bosses over ‘lack of support'

Scottish Sun

04-05-2025

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DESPITE being off the air for seven years, The X Factor has faced a fresh backlash.
It came after a former host revealed she was sacked from the ITV talent show, while an ex judge slammed bosses over their "lack of support".
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Music mogul Simon Cowell is the creator of The X Factor
Credit: Rex
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Dannii Minogue has opened on on how her time on X Factor turned 'toxic'
Credit: Rex
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The singer revealed that the show took a toll on her mental health
Credit: Youtube
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Former Xtra Factor host Fearne Cotton had a similar experience
Credit: YouTube
Created by music mogul Simon Cowell in 2004, The X Factor brought the world huge stars like One Direction and Little Mix.
With its prime time Saturday night slot, at its peak the show was attracting 19.4 million viewers.
But over the years the sparkle of the show started to fade, and it was was eventually cancelled in 2018.
Since The X Factor was axed, more and more people have started to reveal their own personal experiences with the show.
In a new interview former judge Dannii Minogue, 53, revealed how the "toxic" culture on the X Factor forced her to quit the show.
The singer and TV star opened up to Fearne Cotton on her Happy Place Podcast - who in turn revealed she was "sacked" from hosting the spin-off show, The Xtra Factor.
Both women joined the famous show in 2007, with Fearne only lasting one year on the series.
Speaking about her short time with the show, the podcaster said to Dannii: "The last time I worked with you was when I did one season on Extra Factor.
"Before I left/Got Sacked. Not quite sure, blurry lines. Very blurry lines."
The pair then compared notes on the gruelling work schedule, which included long hours that took its toll on them.
Simon Cowell brands X Factor group 'most annoying' act
Dannii revealed: "The next day (after the live show) we would go straight into rehearsing the songs for the next week, which none of the other judges went to.
"And I was always there at 10am and I'd get home at 1.30am, it'd take me three hours to wind down from the adrenaline."
Echoing these gruelling hours, Fearne replied: "It was crazy. I mean, I remember even doing the judges, not the judges houses, what's the boot camp before that? Yeah.
"And we were all in this big house/hotel. I'm not sure what it was.
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Dannii and Fearne appeared on the same series of X Factor together
Credit: Rex Features
"And you would film all day until, you know, sort of 6am till midnight.
"You'd be on your knees and then you try and sleep and all the contestants would be up practicing their songs, playing the piano and you're like, this is torture. Absolute torture.
"I mean, the schedule was a joke. It's a hardcore show to be part of. It's one of those shows where you think, do I want to work in TV anymore? Like this is too much."
'TOXIC ENVIRONMENT'
Dannii then went onto reveal how the "toxic environment" created by drama between the judges led to her walking away in 2010 for the sake of her own wellbeing.
She admitted: "I definitely had a moment where I was just like, 'If this is what it is, I don't know if it's worth it for me'.
'I feel like I got caught up in a lot of kerfuffle where it was just not my personality to be involved.
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Dannii revealed the show took its toll her
Credit: ITV
'But I felt like there was a machine keeping it going because it was incredible for the show.'
She added: 'On my last season of X Factor, 20 million people watched the final, but I just got to a point where I didn't want to be a part of it any more.
'I thought, this show is going that way. In my soul, I'm going in a completely different direction.
'I dug deep into myself and found some strength [to quit].'
Dannii revealed that she feels she has been taken care of more whilst presenting BBC Three's dating show I Kissed A Boy.
She revealed there was round-the-clock mental health care to all participants and the crew, including her.
Dannii said: 'That was the first time they thought my mental health was important, ever.
'It would have been really helpful back in The X Factor days to have anything like that.'
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Dannii's last series of The X Factor was in 2010
Credit: Handout
'DUTY OF CARE'
Dannii and Fearne aren't the only ones to voice concerns over the impact filming The X Factor had them.
The show's host Dermot O'Leary - who fronted the series from 2007 to 2014, before returning for the final three series - talked about how the show would be different if it was on TV in 2025.
'If the show was made now, it'd be made differently,' the This Morning host revealed.
'The culture is different, but it was pretty much always celebratory.
"Look, not everyone on the show is going to knock it out of the park.
"Not everyone is going to have the best experience.
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Dermot O' Leary was the host of The X Factor - seen here with One Direction in 2010
Credit: Rex
"But most of the people we had on were treated really well, and a lot of people who have talked negatively about their experiences are talking about what happened after they left."
Continuing he added: "So if there is a duty of care to be looked at, it's what happens afterwards.'
Former X Factor contestants Katie Waissel and Rebecca Ferguson have also spoken up in recent years about the toxic culture on set, calling for more duty-of-care in the industry — especially on reality shows.