Cowell to quit US idol role

Simon Cowell, the blunt-spoken Briton who has become a star in the US through his role as judge on the two series of the hit television show American Idol, has said he will not be returning for a third edition.

“I’d love to be able to say yes but I can’t. And it’s not about the money any more,” he said on the Los Angeles TV show Good Day Live.

He said he would prefer to return to England and renew his career as a record producer although he said he was also considering three different talk-show offers in the US.