The Voice's Danny O'Donoghue has launched into a stinging attack on the X Factor, accusing it of being cruel to its contestants.
Speaking ahead of series two of The Voice, which begins on BBC One on Saturday night, The Script frontman admitted he found himself unable to watch the last series of the ITV1 show after seeing some hopefuls being mocked.
"I watched some of the last series of The X Factor but I had to turn off when they were laughing at this dude. When you have thousands of people booing some poor s*d on stage, that has the cringe factor," he said.
He added that the revamped version of the show - which features new twists, including the other coaches' ability to 'poach' each other's acts - would keep viewers entertained, while the dynamic between himself and fellow mentors Jessie J, will.i.am and Tom Jones, had also changed.
“We’re getting tighter as a unit but at the same time it’s getting more competitive. There’s more slagging going on," Danny said.
“I love Will — he’s a great guy, and Tom is the best drinking buddy I’ve ever had. Even Jessie — I had a perception of her before we started filming, I thought she was going to be quite spiky, but she’s blown that out of the water.”
And he admitted he loved the new-found female attention that being a part of the show has brought.
"The girls in the street that would pass you by are the same girls stopping and going fanatical over you," he revealed. "And you get a real kick out of it.
"If I weren't in the public eye I wouldn't get the same action I do now," Danny added, "I've got a face like a foot."
The Voice series two kicks off on BBC One at 7pm.
