Nearly a year and a half after they broke off their long-term relationship, Lewis Hamilton has revealed the real reason why things came to an end between him and ‘X Factor’ judge Nicole Scherzinger.

The British Formula One world champion ended his seven-year romance with Scherzinger in February last year. It was widely rumoured that the ex-couple was struggling to maintain a long-distance relationship, with Hamilton travelling for more than half the year, but apparently the real reason is that Lewis felt more strongly about his car collection.

Nicole ScherzingerNicole Scherzinger [pictured] and Lewis Hamilton went their separate ways in February 2015

“My cars are my babies,” the 31 year old Mercedes driver told Top Gear magazine in a new interview. “I used to say, when I had a girlfriend, ‘I’m taking one of the girls out, so you can come if you want, but you come second when it comes to the cars.”

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When things ended 18 months ago, former Pussycat Dolls singer Scherzinger, 38, intimated that their relationship had ended because she and Hamilton had become too “comfortable” with each other.

“Sometimes people stay in relationships because they get complacent, because it's comfortable for them, because they don't want to be alone. “It's a new chapter in my life. I'm going through a very transformative time in my life.”

The pair have subsequently remained on friendly terms: but who knows what Hamilton has made of Nicole’s recent collection of Instagram pictures she’s taken on holiday in Croatia…

Scherzinger has returned to the judging panel of ‘The X Factor’ for the second time in her career, and has spent the summer on the audition circuit ahead of the series returning to ITV later this year. She’s also taken on a voice role in the upcoming Disney animation Moana – as the lead character’s mother Sina – due for release in November.

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