Cowell: Being a dad hasn't made me soft

Simon Cowell says fatherhood hasn't changed his judging style on 'The X Factor'.

Cowell: Being a dad hasn't made me soft

Simon Cowell says fatherhood hasn't changed his judging style on 'The X Factor'.

The 54-year-old star - who welcomed his first child with girlfriend Lauren Silverman earlier this year - claims being a father hasn't had any affect on his ability to distinguish the good auditions from the bad.

Quizzed on whether fatherhood had made him more sympathetic towards poor singers, he said: "I don't see how it could really. I mean when you've got someone who's rubbish walk in, I mean, just because you've got a baby doesn't mean that you suddenly say they're very good.

"I don't think so, no."

Simon is joined on the judging panel by Cheryl Fernandez-Versini, Mel B and Louis Walsh, with Dermot O'Leary returning as host, and they've all agreed with the music mogul, insisting he hasn't been taking it easy on hopefuls during their auditions.

Answering the same question, Cheryl said, 'No', while Louis added, 'Definitely not', and Dermot simply shook his head.

Meanwhile, Simon and Louis have revealed they're not worried about turning up in the same outfits when it comes to the live shows later this year.

Speaking at the 'X Factor' launch at London's Ham Yard Hotel, Simon joked: "We talk to each other before the live shows to see what we're wearing so we don't clash."

He added: "It's not going to be a problem."

'The X Factor' kicks off tonight at 8pm.

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