Cheryl Cole has opened up about her former X Factor mentee Katie Waissel, admitting that she wasn't sure about her following her first audition.
In yet another extract from her autobiography 'Cheryl: My Story', the 'Promise This' singer also confirmed that Simon Cowell instructed her to pick acts who would make "good TV".
Waissel forgot the words to Queen's 'We Are The Champions' during her first tryout in 2010, and then sang Etta James' 'At Last'. Cole missed the audition because she had been taken ill with malaria at the time.
She says: "Simon [Cowell] had spent the past two years drumming into me that we needed acts who would be 'good TV'.
"When I saw Katie perform this time [at Judges' Houses], I had to admit that she was... quirky, intriguing and busting to succeed.
"In short, she had the character and drive it took to withstand the pressure of the show, and so I put her through, even though she messed up when she sang in front of Will [will.i.am]."
And of Cher Lloyd, who also proved controversial, the Girls Aloud star confessed: "I absolutely loved her and had done from the start. She reminded me of myself, coming from a similar background and being gutsy, putting herself out there.
"She basically broke down when it was her turn to sing, but I still put her through because I believed in her and I felt sure she'd blossom as the competition went on.
'Cheryl: My Story' is out now.
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