Cheryl Cole on X Factor USA snub: 'I went through hell and it literally drove me mad'

Cheryl Cole has opened up on being dumped from the US X Factor.

The Brit signed up to appear as a judge on the show in 2011, but she was fired before the program was even aired in the States.

Speaking to Elle about the rejection, Cole said that she was driven "mad" by everything that surrounded her at the time.

She said: "I can talk about this because I'm OK about it now. But I went through hell and it literally drove me mad. I became so desensitised, you could say terrible things to me and I wouldn't even think about it. I'd read awful stuff about myself and not blink. I shut down because I didn't know what else to do."

The 'Crazy Stupid Love' star, however, admitted that X Factor boss Simon Cowell was right to dump her:

"Now I can say that Simon was right to get rid of me. I wasn't well in the head when that was going on, so it wasn't going to work. But he wasn't right not to tell me to my face."

Cole sent a text to Cowell after learning of her sacking and the Brit told Elle that she said:

"F**k you, F**k Fox, F**k the orange and purple outfit. F**k the big hair. F**k the UK X Factor. F**k you all. I hate you."

The singer has now patched up her differences with Cowell and is a judge on this year's UK X Factor.

Watch Cheryl Cole in action below: