Simon Cowell praises Susan Boyle: 'You can't judge a book by its cover'

Music mogul Simon Cowell has opened up about the influence Susan Boyle had over him and confessed that he learned a lot from his experience of listening to her audition.

During an interview with Britain's Radio Times magazine, Cowell explained that she made him realise that looks don't reveal anything about a person's talent:

"It was a turning point for the show and for me actually as a person. It sounds like a cliche but she made me realise that you can't judge a book by its cover. When she came out I remember thinking, 'God, I hope you're not going to sing because I just...' And then it was amazing! I deliberately kept in (the edit of me) looking like a horrible person as a reminder of what can happen."

As previously reported, Cowell also spoke about his regret of not signing boyband Take That: "I was just starting my record label and I remember this guy came into my office and played me the songs, and I said no. And then about two months later, I started to see them written in all the teen magazines, which in those days were important, so I called and the manager and apologised, and I said, 'Actually I've changed my mind, I will sign them.' And that was it."

Watch Cowell prank-calling his fellow 'Britain's Got Talent' judge, Amanda Holden, below: