‘The X Factor’s head honcho Simon Cowell has apologised profusely for nearly accidentally voting off his own act on last weekend’s live episode, saying the gaffe left him “humiliated”.

The 57 year old music mogul had accidentally picked Gifty Louise to leave the singing contest on Sunday night (October 30th), before quickly changing his mind and nominating the girl-group Four of Diamonds.

Simon CowellSimon Cowell at the Pride of Britain Awards 2016

Speaking to The Sun at the Pride of Britain Awards the following evening, he acknowledged his mistake, saying “It was humiliating. That's the nature of live TV but it was horrible. People should have voted for her that's the way it goes.”

The error happened when ‘The X Factor’s host Dermot O’Leary asked Cowell to give him the name of the act he thought should be eliminated. When he replied “Gifty” – an act he had helped mentor through the Judges’ Houses stage of the competition – there was a gasp among the audience, before Cowell quickly backtracked by saying: “Oh God, let me be clear, I’m sending home Four of Diamonds”.

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However, his vote ended up being academic anyway, as fellow judges Sharon Osbourne, Louis Walsh and Nicole Scherzinger all voted to send Gifty home.

“I thought I knew who was going to win but I've changed my mind now,” Cowell continued by way of explanation on Monday night, reflecting on his mistake.

20 year old Gifty then told ‘Good Morning Britain’ after she had been eliminated: “I feel like the judges had already made up their mind. I feel like I was consistent every single week, but I wasn't confident about the song choice. I didn't feel too great about doing a third Fifth Harmony song, I was worried it would be too predictable.”

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