Pop Idol winner says he disliked judge Simon Cowell

Summarised from 2 outlets · Updated 20 Oct, 13:02 · Archive

Will Young, who won Pop Idol in 2002, has called judge Simon Cowell a 'bully' and said he 'didn't like him at all'.

Will Young, winner of the first series of Pop Idol in 2002, has called judge Simon Cowell a 'bully' in a new interview. Speaking to The Telegraph, Young said he 'didn't like him at all' and 'don't like bullies', reflecting on their difficult relationship during the early stages of his career. The pair famously clashed on screen when Cowell was a judge on the ITV talent show.

Young, who now lives in Wiltshire, defeated Gareth Gates in the Pop Idol final and went on to establish a successful recording career. Following the programme, Young became closer professionally to Pop Idol creator Simon Fuller and distanced himself from Cowell. Young recalled asking Fuller whether Cowell could damage his career, and Fuller assured him it would not happen.

Young subsequently worked with producer Steve Lipson, who has also worked with Annie Lennox, as he developed his solo career. In the same interview, Young discussed his decision to withdraw from Strictly Come Dancing in 2016, saying it had been 'very easy' because he was struggling with agoraphobia and hypervigilance at the time.

How it is being reported

• Pop Idol winner reveals he 'didn’t like bully Simon Cowell at all'Pop Idol winner Will Young has revealed he "didn't really like Simon Cowell at all", calling the judge a "bully" in a new bombshell statement.Oxfordshire Guardian · 20 Oct, 12:30
• Pop Idol winner reveals he 'didn’t like bully Simon Cowell at all'Pop Idol winner Will Young has revealed he "didn't really like Simon Cowell at all", calling the judge a "bully" in a new bombshell statement.Oxford Mail · 20 Oct, 12:30

In this story: Will Young · Simon Cowell · Pop Idol · Simon Fuller · Gareth Gates · Steve Lipson

This summary was written by AI from the headlines and standfirsts above, and states as fact only what at least two outlets report. How we use AI · Report a problem