SIMON COWELL - COWELL SLAMS DEGARMO

British music mogul SIMON COWELL has launched a scathing attack on AMERICAN IDOL runner-up DIANA DeGARMO, claiming the show would have been a "disaster" if the schoolgirl had won.

Georgia-native DeGarmo, 17, lost out to FANTASIA BURRINO, 20, in the third series of the TV talent show, much to the delight of judge Cowell.

Cowell says, "Fantasia really changed the competition, because she was a very credible, cool artist and wasn't seen as a pop brat.

Thank God she won, because if the other girl had won - Diana bl**dy DeGarmo - that would have been a disaster.

"She was turning the show into a kind of pageant.