A Trick on Simon Cowell
Dannii Minogue, the Australian singer and former judge on The X Factor UK, has shared a story about a clever trick she played on Simon Cowell during their time on the show. The 54-year-old revealed that she once took revenge for his constant teasing, which often left her feeling embarrassed.
Minogue was a judge on the show from 2007 to 2010, and during an appearance on The Joel Creasey Show, she recounted how Cowell would mock her for being genuine in her comments. “Simon would often tease me so much because I would say something, and genuinely be into it, and he would just say ‘That’s rubbish’, and turn everyone against me just for fun,” she explained.
This led to a game of one-upmanship between the two, with each trying to outdo the other in humiliating the other. Minogue’s moment of triumph came when Cowell had One Direction in his group. The band members had previously auditioned as solo performers during Season 10 before Cowell and Nicole Scherzinger suggested they form a band to compete under his guidance.
However, Minogue claimed that Cowell struggled to remember their names and relied on notes. “We are near the pointy end of the show [and] he couldn’t remember their names without having a bit of paper under the desk, and I knew no one else would call him out on it,” she said. “So, I took the bit of paper and said ‘Speak to the boys now’… on live TV.”
Cowell managed to name only four of the five singers and mistakenly called Zayn Malik ‘Ollie’.
Struggles on the Show
During her chat with Creasey, Minogue also spoke about the intense pressure she faced while on the show. She described experiencing severe anxiety, depression, and stress. “I was thrown in the deep end, let me tell you,” she said. “I came from doing Australia’s Got Talent in Australia to The X Factor in the UK at the height of when it’s the biggest show – the country stopped to watch it.”
She added, “And as it comes down the panel, the most iconic panel. You’ve got Simon, you’ve got Sharon [Osbourne], you’ve got Louis [Walsh], and everybody knew them. And all the press in the country said to me ‘Why are you here? Why do you think you can do this job?’ And I’m like, ‘I’m as confused as you are. I don’t know why I’m here. I don’t know what I’m doing, but I’ll do my best to work it out’.”
Romance with Simon Cowell
Minogue eventually quit the show in 2011 and returned to Australia, but not before a rumored romance with Cowell, who is 12 years her senior. Rumours of their relationship first surfaced in 2007, but both denied it at the time. However, Cowell admitted in his 2012 biography, Sweet Revenge: The Intimate Life of Simon Cowell, that they did have a brief romance during her early years on the show.
He described his feelings as “like a schoolboy” at the height of his “crush” on her and spoke of the “nights of passion” they shared. He later apologized for his ungentlemanly behavior in writing about the topic, but insisted he did not want to lie to his biographer, even though the revelation reportedly upset Minogue.
Tensions with Sharon Osbourne
Another person who reportedly knew about the relationship was fellow The X Factor judge Sharon Osbourne. In her 2013 autobiography Unbreakable, she claimed that the relationship between Minogue and Cowell caused an “unbearable” atmosphere on the set of the show. Osbourne has also made other unflattering comments about the Aussie singer over the years.
Minogue, in turn, has previously described Osbourne as a bully.
Personal Life
Minogue has a son, Ethan, 15, with former UK-born rugby player turned model Kris Smith. The couple dated from 2008 to 2012.
