Cowell: Stacey Solomon 'too much like Leona'

X Factor judge Simon Cowell blamed her mentor Dannii Minogue for ruining Stacey Solomon’s chances of winning the competition.

She narrowly missed out on being in the final and Simon said Dannii’s made a tactical error by making herappear too much like previous winner Leona Lewis.

“If Stacey were to win the show, we would have to go right back to where she started from when we first saw her,” he was reported as telling the News of the World.

“I would take her out of those stupid ballgowns and stop her trying to sound like Leona. I think she is a really good singer but all her originality has been stripped away from her. Dannii is trying to make her Leona Mark II and you can’t do that.”