Louis Walsh has been lamenting the departure of John and Edward Grimes from ITV’s X Factor.

Responding to critics who accused the boys of not being able to sing or dance, Louis said: “They’re getting better”.

He told Sky News: “We threw them in at the deep end but they’re actually getting better. They can dance a bit and they can sing a bit.”

He added: “They’ve got something, I don’t know what it is. They’re not great singers or dancers, but they’ve got something.”

Louis also denied rumours that they would be taking part in I’m A Celebrity saying:

“I don’t think they want to be in the celebrity business,” he said. “They just love pop music.

“We are just going to miss them so much… the show’s not going to be the same without them, the fun is out of the X Factor.”