Simon Cowell has compared Cheryl Cole's popularity in the UK to the late Princess Diana.
Cowell and Cole's relationship has been strained in recent months after the Girls Aloud star was fired as a judge on The X Factor USA.
“I came to the conclusion that she may not be as comfortable here because I was seeing a different person,” he said.
“She was like Princess Diana when she would walk out in England, and I accepted the fact that people didn't know her here, but I think it did have an effect on her.’
In an interview with the Hollywood Reporter, Cowell revealed that he had offered Cole the chance to return to the UK edition in the wake of her sacking, but that she didn't except.
The X Factor USA begins later this year.
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