Simon Cowell: Cheryl Cole Is One Of The Sexiest Women I've Met

X Factor mogul Simon Cowell gushes that he was left taken aback by Cheryl Cole's stunning looks

Simon Cowell may have enjoyed flings with Dannii Minogue and Carmen Electra, who were both judges on his shows, but it was Cheryl Cole who really took him aback.

'When she walked on set on the first day in the UK I thought that she was one of the most beautiful women I had ever seen in my life,' Simon tells the Radio Times.

The 53-year-old Syco boss said that he wasn't the only one infatuated with the Girls Aloud beauty, revealing: 'I think my entire production stage - including a lot of gay people were madly in love with Cheryl.'

Simon also admitted in the frank interview that he appoints women he is attracted to, explaining: 'A lot of them yes, I'm not going to lie.'

SIMON COWELL: I FEEL EMBARRASSED ABOUT DANNII MINOGUE AFFAIR

Frenemies Simon and Cheryl first met on the X Factor in 2008, enjoying a flirtatious relationship on-screen for most of the part, until he sensationally axed her from The X Factor USA in 2011 after just four rounds of auditions at least.

This isn't the first time bachelor Cowell has spoken about fancying Cheryl. In the biography Sweet Revenge: The Intimate Life of Simon Cowell by BBC journalist Tom Bower, he is quoted as saying: 'I would have liked an affair with Cheryl. I felt like a mouse being played with by a beautiful cat.

'She would come in dressed in her tracksuit and slippers, drop her eyes and play the soulful victim to get around me. She played me. I adored her.'

Cowell also addressed rumours that he was gay, telling the Radio Times: 'I work in possibly the gayest industry in the world. Music and TV. It would make no difference to my life or my career.

'A lot of my friends are gay but I'm not and don't even think that way any more. I couldn't care less (if people think I'm gay) because it's nothing to be ashamed of.'

CHERYL COLE STYLE HIGHS AND LOWS

LATEST CELEBRITY NEWS

Got a tablet? You can now download Marie Claire magazine straight to your iPad, Kindle (just search the store for Marie Claire magazine), Nook or Google Nexus.