Steve Brookstein has spoken out today in the Daily Mail in response to Simon Cowells comments earlier this week that G4 were the true X Factor winners. He damned the show saying that it is “killing music” and that people should think twice before entering. He said “‘The show gives you a platform but then pulls the rug from under your feet by making you sign to a certain record label and having no say in what happens next.”

He goes on to say “The X Factor is all one big theatre - it’s turning music into the WWF. It’s about killing music to make light entertainment. I’ve now got to break away from The X Factor, which is fundamentally cheese and regarded as so by anyone and everyone in the industry.”

He is also very outspoken about his former judge and mentor Simon Cowell saying “”The X Factor damages your credibility - or perhaps I should say Simon Cowell does. I did my vocals for the album in two weeks. But it did not come out for six months and I suspect that was because after the show finished Simon spent a month on holiday in Barbados. Then he went to America and did Pop Idol……I was never was one of Simon’s priorities. Simon Cowell is Simon’s priority. All the show has done is restrict my trade - but c’est la vie.”

Its not surprising that Steve is disappointed considering that only 8 months after winning the hit show it has been announced that his record label BMG is dropping him from their books. He says ‘I’m not bitter that they have let me go, I’m just disappointed. I feel that we had a great opportunity to do a great album with a mixture of some covers and new material. Instead I got slated for doing an album of covers. And it hurts because I remember sitting in a meeting and expressly saying that I didn’t want to do just covers. But with a show like The X Factor you have to toe the line, because otherwise it’s your backside on the line.”

Simon Cowell responded last night by saying “‘It is fair to say that Steve and I had artistic differences, but then that happens. I think the fact that he had a number one single and album and sold over 250,000 albums cannot be damaging to anyone’s credibility.”

An ITV1 spokesperson said ‘The X Factor launched Steve’s career and off the back of the show he had a number one single and album, a massive achievement for any artist.’