United Kingdom, Jan. 23 -- Simon Cowell went "too far" with his crushing put-downs on The X Factor - admitting he was a "d***" and is "sorry".

The 66-year-old music mogul has faced a backlash in recent years over his jibes to aspiring singers on the TV talent show - which ran from 2004 until 2018 in the UK and between 2011 and 2013 in the US - and Cowell has now acknowledged he was too mean.

In an interview with The Times newspaper, Cowell conceded he had sometimes been "a d***", adding: "I did realise I've probably gone too far. What can I say? I'm sorry. I'm not proud of it. But then again, the upside is that it made the shows really popular worldwide."

Cowell has returned to the talent show landscape with Simon Cowell: The Next Act ...