‘I never used to watch it, obviously’: Simon Cowell admits to watching rival Strictly since The X-Factor ended

Simon Cowell has admitted that he now watches Strictly Come Dancing following the cancellation of his rival show The X-Factor.

The former head judge, 63, from London, appeared on The One Show with Strictly stars Molly Rainford and Carlos Zu ahead of the BBC dance show’s semi-final.

Co-host Ronan Keating asked the TV mogul: “Simon, Strictly. Do you watch it? Would you do it?”

Whilst sat on the famous green sofa, Simon responded: “I watch it now. I never used to watch it, obviously. It’s like you know, don’t even mention the words.”

The viral clip has been uploaded to Instagram with the caption: “When the #Strictly Semi-Final on a Sunday is not the weirdest thing to happen this week.”

The social media caption makes reference to the semi-final live show being aired on Sunday to avoid a clash with the World Cup game between England and France, which took place on Saturday (10 December).

Over 10,000 people have liked the post and have been quick to give their opinion on which talent show they prefer.

Simon was the creator of The X-Factor and the head judge for 10 series. The ITV show hasn’t aired since 2018, having been cancelled due to its low viewership.

When the programme began in 2004, viewing figures for The X-Factor fell behind those of rival talent show Strictly Come Dancing.

However, the situation changed in the following year, when the second series of The X-Factor UK began to attract a larger audience.

By 2010, after the likes of JLS and Olly Murs had won the show, The X-Factor had hit its peak and viewship began deteriorating again.

Strictly Come Dancing won the Most Popular Talent Show at the National Television Award on several occasions between 2008 and 2019, beating X-Factor and Britains Got Talent.