Simon Cowell has branded fellow X Factor judge Cheryl Cole ‘mad’ and compared Louis Walsh to Coronation Street battleaxe Ena Sharples.

The X Factor supremo said that the constant demands of the show – following a year that has seen the Girls Aloud singer, above, battle malaria and go through a divorce – had tipped her over the edge.

He said: ‘The slogan of this year’s show was “Embrace the madness” and Cheryl says she can’t work out if she is embracing it or actually going mad.’

‘It’s a fine line. But Cheryl has always been mad. Look into her eyes and you will see total madness. She was always fighting it, but it was there ready to come out. I’ve had the most bonkers conversations with her.’

He also accused Cheryl of copying his judging style, stealing his trademark salute at the start of the show and sniped that Dannii Minogue didn’t ‘get’ current pop music.

After slating her last week for not working as hard as he and Dannii did with their acts, he said of Cheryl: ‘Cheryl is kind of a mini-me. She even copied that salute from me. I did it on American Idol.’

And just to twist the knife further, he said would chose Dannii over Cheryl as a mentor: ‘If I had to choose a mentor other than myself, if I was a contestant, I’d want to be mentored by Dannii.’

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