Sam Bailey has accused Simon Cowell of being "shallow" after he questioned her chances of long-term success.The pregnant X Factor winner hit back after Simon admitted he wasn't celebrating her triumph just yet. "Sam, we will wait and see," the 54-year-old told Metro.
"She will have a very successful debut album. (Is she) going to be as good as the final year we did? No. That was a very special year. I would love to find another Olly Murs or something similar to Olly. "But Sam believes that the music mogul - and his hit talent show - focuses too much on age and looks.
Sam thinks Simon cares too much about looks
"To be honest, X Factor has had so many joke acts and not people that had potential," she told the Metro, while attending The Prince's Trust & Samsung Celebrate Success Awards. "People that have had potential who have maybe been a bit fatter or older or not looked right, they need to start looking at those people because then you get someone like me."
Sam won The X Factor last year
The 36-year-old added, "There's so many singers I've watched previously on the show that have had the most amazing voices, but they've been classed as too cruise ship or too clubby. I worked on cruise ships for nine months in 1999, that was it – and I'm cruise ship?"I think they need to look a little bit further and it needs to be less shallow, and they might be alright. "Sam was crowned winner of the 10th series of The X Factor in December, when she beat Luke Friend in the final. Following her win, her debut single, a cover of Demi Lovato's Skyscraper, was released and became the Christmas number one.
On Monday, Simon announced that Cheryl would be returning to The X Factor UK
Her debut album The Power of Love will be released on 24 March. The X Factor will return to TV screens later this year, with both Simon and Cheryl Cole returning to the judging panel
Watch Sam Bailey's exclusive HELLO! photoshoot