Simon Cowell is refusing to give 'The X Factor' a hiatus.
Simon Cowell
The 56-year-old music mogul, who launched the show 12 years ago, is adamant the singing contest will return to screens later this year, despite many people claiming it needs time off following a drop in ratings, because he thinks his programme is doing well in comparison to its rivals.
Speaking to BANG Showbiz, he said he has no plans to take it off air, adding: "I think a lot of people should be taking a break at the moment but I think now that I've taken a step back and it was a very interesting year last year.
"And I think when you see what is going to happen this year, these numbers that people were kind of being negative about - we had 10 million tune into a final - are going to start looking a lot better than you think because other people are in a lot more trouble."
Simon's subtle dig comes after former host Dermot O'Leary, who was dropped from the 'X Factor' in 2014, said the ITV programme needs to leave screens for 12 months and return with some fresh ideas or risk losing viewers forever.
He said recently: "If I was Simon Cowell, I'd take it off air for a year. I'd rest it, and then I'd get back to the rooms. For me, it was always room, arena, boot camp. Also I was really uncomfortable about the Six-Chair Challenge. I don't think it's a particularly nice bit of television."
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