Cheryl Cole's mentor will.i.am has suggested that Simon Cowell was the reason why the 'Call My Name' star was dumped from X Factor USA.

The singer jumped ship from the UK X Factor to join the inaugural series of the USA show in 2011, but she was axed during the auditions stage.

The Sun quotes will.i.am as saying that a lot of British people find it hard to break America - but he added that Cole found it difficult because of one Brit in particular. He said:

"There are English guys that go to America and it's hard for them. Let's take Cheryl Cole for example – she went and did a TV show and it was hard for her. And it wasn't hard for her because of an American – it was hard for her because of a Brit."

He concluded: "Now that’s kind of weird, isn't it?"