Dermot O’Leary confronted Simon Cowell about not being given enough screen time on The X Factor

Dermot O’Leary has admitted he confronted Simon Cowell about not being given enough screen time on The X Factor. 

The TV star, 47, hosted the singing competition for years and told his boss he wasn’t happy with how much he was being featured on the show when he was brought back after being sacked in 2015.

According to The Sun, Dermot was watching The X Factor one day when he realised he wasn’t in much of it so decided to have words with Simon, 60.     

Dermot said: ‘He does that great Simon thing where you walk into his house and you’re like, “Stick to the plan, say what you want to say,” and then you sit down, you’re going through it and he goes, “Do you want some chicken pie?”

‘And in your head, you’re like, “Actually, I really like chicken pie”. The most delicious chicken pie you’ve had in your life turns up and you have this thing and you go, “I don’t think I’m in the show enough.” 

‘He goes, “Yeah, I totally agree. Yeah, ­absolutely.” Then you go, “Great, now I can just have a great time,” because he’s great company.’

When contacted by MailOnline, a representative for Simon declined to comment. MailOnline has also contacted ITV for comment.  

When he was axed from the show five years ago, Dermot let his feelings be known when he hosted the National Television Awards and took a swipe at Simon by saying: ‘I’ve still got this job — for now.’

Simon later said that Dermot leaving the show was a ‘misunderstanding’ and he was brought back the following year. 

Speaking to fans while hosting an interactive talk for Ant McPartlin and Declan Donnelly’s autobiography, Dermot added: ‘To be fair, he’s a man of his word. When it happened to me, I was in it more. And I felt more part of the team.

‘He’s a great night out as well, terrific company. When you see that little sparkle and the gossip starts, he’s a world of fun. I just wish he wasn’t so late all the time.’ 

Speaking previously about Dermot leaving The X Factor, Simon told The Mirror: ‘He [Dermot] came out to see me in Los Angeles. He may have thought it was going to be an awkward meeting but it was one of the easiest I’ve have ever had.

‘I think there was probably a misunderstanding. I thought he wanted to go and he probably thought I wanted him to leave. Neither of us, being stubborn, spoke to each other and then we realised that we miss him.’

Despite the confusion, Dermot admitted he doesn’t hold a grudge and was ‘flattered’ to front the primetime series once again.

However, Dermot previously admitted on This Morning he did not watch The X Factor in 2015 when it was hosted by Olly Murs and Caroline Flack, jokingly saying: ‘I couldn’t do it to myself.’

It comes after Ant and Dec recently admitted they had a showdown in Los Angeles with Simon Cowell after they felt like they were ‘side-lined’ on Britain’s Got Talent and considered quitting the show.

The presenting duo, who have fronted the show since its inception in 2007, admitted in their new book Once Upon A Tyne, they had crisis talks with Simon in 2012.

They wrote: ‘After filming interviews and interacting with every single act, as well as making jokes, giving reactions and everything else we always do, we found that when the show went out on TV, we hardly seemed to feature in it at all. The experience left us feeling like we were being side-lined’. 

Ant and Dec told bosses that they felt anyone could be hosting the show, considering all of their work that was cut out, and they were thinking about leaving when their contract was up. 

Dec even went as far as to say that he remembered waking up in Birmingham on the final day of the 2012 tour and thinking that it would be the last time he’d ever do it.

The pair added the conversations with the bosses were not easy but they felt they were necessary and it led to Simon requesting to see them both in LA as he frantically tried to get them to stay. 

The trio met at a restaurant in West Hollywood and sat outside so Simon could smoke with Ant and Dec noting he was only a minute late for the meeting, which they say is out of character for him as he is often hours late.

Simon began the conversation by telling the pair how well he thought the previous series of Britain’s Got Talent had gone and how pleased he was with the talent, before asking them how they felt about it.

Ant and Dec wrote: ‘We let him have it with both barrels. We told him everything – that we weren’t being used, that we could be doing other stuff, that maybe someone else should take over.

‘He made a promise to us that things would change and that we’d never feel like that again. He desperately wanted us to stay and we told him we’d do the next series and see how it went – and, to be fair to him, he was as good as his word and things did change.’

Simon also contributed to the book and wrote that if Ant or Dec are ever annoyed, they will say it to his face and there is no drama with them, which he respects.