Simon Cowell has praised Dermot O'Leary after the presenter announced he would no longer be hosting The X-Factor. 41-year-old Leary announced he would be leaving the show on Friday (27th March). The presenter, who has hosted the show for eight years since taking over from Kate Thornton in 2007, informed fans of his decision on Twitter.

Simon Cowell
Simon Cowell has praised Dermot O'Leary after the presenter announced he is leaving The X Factor.

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O'Leary described his time with the show as "wonderful" and thanked the cast and crew for their time together. He also offered his best wishes to the crew and the future presenter of The X-Factor.

"I'd like to thank ITV, Simon, The X Factor family and particularly the viewers, all of whom have been a big part of my life for so long," O'Leary wrote. 

Cowell immediately responded to the news, publically praising O'Leary. Cowell took to Twitter on Friday (27th March), writing how it was "a quiet week at the office" after O'Leary's departure from the show. 

"Dermot has been an amazing presenter on The X Factor. He held the craziness together. Most of the time. He is a great guy and a real talent and we will work together on something else" Cowell wrote.

Although both Cowell's and O'Leary's tweets suggest it was O'Leary's decision to leave the show, there have been some rumours the decision came from the show's producers, as the Mirror reports. It's certainly been a week of turmoil and departures in the UK entertainment industry as the news of O'Leary stepping down from his position as X-Factor host follows on the heels of the BBC dropping Jeremy Clarkson from Top Gear and Zayn Malik announcing his departure from One Direction. 

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