Natalia Kills defends X Factor comments as ‘light’ compared to those of Simon Cowell

The sacked New Zealand X Factor judge hit out at a contestant for copying her husband

Natalia Kills has defended the comments that resulted in her sacking from The X Factor New Zealand, claiming they were ‘light’ compared to those of Simon Cowell.

The singer was asked to leave the show following the bullying controversy that took place live on air when she criticised a contestant for supposedly copying her husband and fellow judge Willy Moon. Moon was also sacked from the show by Mediaworks, the owners of The X Factor broadcaster TV3.

Speaking to the New Zealand Herald, Kills said:

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“I’ve been a fan of The X Factor and Simon Cowell my whole life and what we said is light compared to what Gordon Ramsay, Simon Cowell and many others have said on national television and been celebrated for.”

“It’s so sad how they (TV3) encourage so much drama but then when their sponsor and the public react badly they release a statement branding us as ‘bullies’.”

“The racism, homophobia, death and rape threats and online attacks have been a real eye opener to what bullying really is,” she continued.

“It’s not the same as criticism. It’s not the same as being told off for your outfit choice. It’s far greater and sadder than anything I’ve ever witnessed and I refuse to be the victim of it.”

“It makes me glad to have got out before it got even worse. God only knows what else could have happened!”

Simon Cowell recently commented on the incident for the first time, labelling Kills ‘hateful’ and ‘mad.’

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He told Mail Online: “It was hateful. She sounded mad. It didn’t even make sense.”

Cowell continued: “Where they cocked up was that they didn’t apologise straight away. If they’d both been genuinely sorry and called me, and apologised to the guy and his family, who knows what could have happened? They didn’t. They were quite defensive. Their attitude was, ‘So what? That’s what we’re like’. It was the arrogance of it that did it for them.”

Both Kills and Moon offered an apology for the incident.

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