Cowell almost quit TV last year

The ‘X Factor’ and ‘Britain’s Got Talent’ judge Simon Cowell – who also sits on the panel of US show ‘American Idol’ – decided to evaluate his life when he realise how much his work commitments were taking over.

He said: “I came close to giving up work last year when I looked at about June/July and my PA showed me I had an 18 month schedule which took me all the way up to December of this year and every single day was practically planned and that really depressed me.”

The 50-year-old music mogul – who is famed for his put-downs – also admitted he often feels “appalled” with himself when he realises how nasty he has been to contestants.

Speaking on ‘Piers Morgan’s Life Stories’ he said: "There's many, many times where I've watched the show back and I'm absolutely appalled - you do the show, you're not aware of what's happening in the room outside.

"You know, somebody just said 'My dog Lassie died yesterday', I'm in a bad mood and, you know, awful, and you see it in that context, it's very, very difficult to watch.

You become part of a mob and when you watch the show back you realise that you've gone too far.”

Simon also revealed he didn’t think ‘Britain’s Got Talent’ contestant Susan Boyle – who became a global sensation after her audition was viewed around the world on video sharing website YouTube – was given enough support when she began to struggle with her fame.

He said: "I don't think that for one second when I saw that audition tape that any of us suddenly went 'What are the repercussions for her?'.

"That's when you suddenly realise, 'I haven't thought about this person as a human being,' And it was a real wake up call I've got to tell you."

‘Piers Morgan’s Life Stories’ will air on ITV on Saturday.