by Janet Harris

Created on: January 13, 2009

Simon Cowell is a hard shell with a soft, soft centre. There are people who will violently disagree with this statement, but these are the people who are taking him at face value and not seeing the real man.

It is so easy to hate him. After all he is blunt and to the point, telling people they have no talent, shattering their dreams and sending them on their way if they try to talk him round or speak to him with attitude'. But is he wrong? I think the truthful answer to that is No', he is rarely wrong. What is the point of going on a show like The X Factor' or Britain's Got Talent' if you are not prepared for failure and disappointment. I like to think I have a reasonable singing voice I've been told this by many people, so I have applied for both these shows in the past and got nowhere at all. I didn't get as far as seeing Simon, and I was a bit upset when I was told that I wasn't being taken any further in the show. However, some months later I saw a tape of myself singing, and though I am quite good, I am nowhere near as good as I thought I was. There are people out there who are much better than I am and they deserve their chance. Even if I got no further, I would love to have sung for Simon Cowell.

I have to admit that he has grown on me. I started off like everyone else, wondering who this man thought he was, telling people they should give up singing, making people cry and not caring what everyone else thought of him. Then I began to realise that he was being cruel to be kind, he was telling the truth, and we all know that the truth hurts.

Then I saw a TV programme about his life and the real Simon Cowell loves his family, is extremely likeable and has a great sense of humour. To see him relaxing at his Mother's house, with his little niece perched on his knee was the real Simon Cowell the man behind the mask of iron. The blunt statements, the stern attitude, these are the actions of a businessman, which after all, is what he is. His interest in talent shows is to make money, to choose a person who will be a star in every sense of the word, and to be a world-class performer. A tall order and a great responsibility. Simon Cowell isn't in the business to be popular, or to bow to people's whims and fancies or overblown illusions of themselves. His reputation is on the line and he does know what he is talking about.

I often feel sorry for him when he is verbally attacked by people who have been told that they are not talented singers, or by the blinkered families

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