Simon Cowell has described himself "lucky, hard-working and weird" and defended the X Factor against his critics in a wide-ranging interview with the Today programme.

The media mogul told James Naughtie that the entertainment industry "does make you a little bid odd".

The X Factor did take into account whether people were "tough enough" to take part in the programme, he said.

"We don't sit there and go 'let's try and find someone vulnerable and weak to exploit today'."

And if you don't like it? "There are always things called remote controls," he said.

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