SIMON COWELL - COWELL SLAMMED BY X FACTOR WINNER

Music mogul SIMON COWELL has been slammed by the winner of his UK television show THE X FACTOR, who accuses the reality TV judge of having dumped him in favour of advancing his own career.

Former pub singer STEVE BROOKSTEIN, who triumphed in the competition last year (04) and subsequently topped the UK singles chart with AGAINST ALL ODDS, has been dropped by record label Sony BMG after just eight months under their wing.

Brookstein, 36, angrily insists Cowell has left him high and dry - jetting to the US to shoot AMERICAN IDOL despite promising to nurture his burgeoning career.

He says, "The show gives you a platform but then pulls the rug from under your feet by making you sign to a certain label and having no say in what happens next.

"The X Factor damages your credibility - or perhaps I should say Simon Cowell does.

"In the same period last year, prior to The X Factor, I had performed over 200 hours of singing. This year, thanks to Simon Cowell, I've sung for a total of just 35 minutes. It's a joke.

"After the show finished Simon spent a month on holiday in Barbados. Then he went to America and did American Idol.

"I was never one of Simon's priorities. Simon Cowell is Simon's priority."

But Cowell is dismissive of his former protege's rage.

He says, "Steve and I had artistic differences, but then that happens.

"The fact that he had a number one single and sold over 250,000 albums cannot be damaging to anyone's credibility."