Music mogul Simon Cowell has praised new 'X Factor' judge Mel B, of the Spice Girls fame, and described her as incredibly hard-working and confident. 

Speaking to Hello! magazine about his decision to include her on this season's panel, which also boasts Cheryl Cole and Louis Walsh, Cowell explained that she's an interesting character who has a lot of 'depth':

"The interesting thing about Mel is there's so much depth, she's not just some Spice Girl. The more I talk with her, the more I realise just how smart she is. She's a proper grafter and not bitchy or insecure. She's probably the closest you're ever going to get to a female version of me."

"This confidence she has in her decisions is just great. I have a lot of admiration for her."

Earlier this month, Mel B told Britain's The Mirror newspaper that she is a little nervous about working alongside Cowell because he's such a powerful person in the industry: "This is Simon's show, he created it. You don't want to p*ss your boss off."

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Watch a recent interview with Mel B below: