Dermot O’Leary fiercely defends The X Factor against mistreatment allegations after Liam Payne tragedy
Several stars have said the show 'exploited' them.
Dermot O’Leary has fiercely defended The X Factor following years of former contestants alleging mistreatment while appearing on the show.
The This Morning presenter, 51, fronted Simon Cowell’s ITV singing contest from 2007 to 2014, later returning to host its final three series until 2018.
He replaced Kate Thornton and was a huge hit with viewers, as the show attracted almost 20million viewers each Saturday night at its peak.
However, behind the scenes, it has become apparent that there was a dark side to the glitz and glam of The X Factor, as many stars have slammed their experiences since leaving.
Contestants including Rebecca Ferguson, Katie Waissel, and Jedward have claimed to have had negative experiences during its heyday, citing poor duty of care from bosses as the reason for their mental health woes.
Meanwhile, fans of the show have since realised how toxic the culture of reality TV used to be, as the judges would launch needlessly cruel insults at auditionees hoping to hit the big time.
Dermot was a huge part of the ITV show, hosting it from 2007 until its end (Picture: Dymond/Thames/Syco/REX/Shutterstock) He insists the well-being of contestants was always taken ‘seriously’ (Picture: Thames/Syco/REX/Shutterstock)Now, addressing the allegations of a ‘cruel’ environment inside the juggernaut, Dermot has admitted the show would be made ‘differently’ in 2025.
But he still insists execs took the well-being of their stars ‘seriously’.
In a new interview with The Sunday Times, Dermot said: ‘If the show was made now, it’d be made differently.
‘The culture is different, but it was pretty much always celebratory. Look, not everyone on the show is going to knock it out of the park. Not everyone is going to have the best experience. But most of the people we had on were treated really well, and a lot of people who have talked negatively about their experiences are talking about what happened after they left.
‘I think 99 out of 100 actually missed the show—they missed the bubble. So if there is a duty of care to be looked at, it’s what happens afterwards.’
Dermot was then asked about Liam Payne, who rose to fame in 2010 as part of One Direction, having already auditioned for the show as a soloist a couple of years earlier.
Stars including Katie Waissel have since slammed the programme and bosses for a lack of duty of care (Picture: Ken McKay/Rex Features) One Direction remain The X Factor’s biggest international success story (Picture: Ken McKay/Talkback Thames/Shutterstock)The pop star achieved astronomical prosperity with the band, who are undoubtedly The X Factor’s biggest success story. Sadly, on October 16, 2024, Payne died after falling from a balcony at his hotel in Argentina.
He spoke openly about his struggles with addiction and mental illness throughout his career, having been thrust into the limelight at a tender age.
Dermot, who was close to the Strip That Down hitmaker, now describes him as ‘both wise and sort of a young soul at the same time.’
As questions continue to be asked about the safeguarding of young artists, Dermot admitted it is an ‘industry-wide conversation that should be had’.
‘Duty of care is the most important thing when doing shows like this, and I wouldn’t dare to presume to speak for everyone,’ he said. ‘But in my experience, it was always taken seriously on the show—and would be even more thorough now.’
As for his own involvement in the programme, Dermot believes he was hired to ‘normalise the experience for contestants’, having gone down to the studio on his days off to be there for them.
Liam Payne tragically died in October last year (Picture: Dymond/Thames/Syco/REX/Shutterstock) Dermot admits The X Factor would be made ‘differently’ today (Picture: Ken McKay/REX/Shutterstock)‘I just took the job seriously,’ he declared, adding that he actively integrated himself with the hopefuls to ‘make sure they were comfortable’.
Alas, not everyone has a good word to say about appearing on the show, with even its winners, such as 2016 champ Matt Terry, claiming he hopes The X Factor ‘never’ returns.
Additionally, ex-contestant Katie previously said the show ‘ruined’ her life when she auditioned in 2010, having since received therapy for post-traumatic stress disorder and suicidal thoughts.
In 2012, songwriter Lucy Spraggan left the show early when she was raped by a hotel porter during her time in the contest. While she’s remained close with Simon, she claims she has not received an apology from ITV for what happened.
Comment nowDo you think The X Factor will ever return?Comment NowOther contestants who had negative experiences were Cher Lloyd, who says the show ‘exploited’ her as a teenager, and Irish twins Jedward, who previously tweeted: ‘Every contestant on the X Factor was a slave to the show and got paid zero while they made millions!’
The X Factor landed on the chopping block when ratings began to plummet.
By 2017, it was averaging less than seven million for its live shows, leading to its cancellation shortly after.
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