Simon Cowell thought Cheryl was ‘dead’ at the end of her racy X Factor performance

Simon Cowell has revealed he thought Cheryl had “died” at the end of her comeback performance on The X Factor.

The music mogul spoke out about the controversial performance of Love Made Me Do It, which sparked a backlash for being “too sexualised.”

Asked about the high-energy performance, Cowell told This Morning’s Lizzy Cundy: “‘I thought she was dead at the end of it actually!

“I remember her lying there, and I said to Louis [Tomlinson], ‘I think she’s dead!’, then she stood up. So I was laughing afterwards.”

Viewers slammed Cheryl’s “sexual” moves – which included licking her hand – and accused her of “painful” vocals. She later hit back at the “relentless abuse”.

The performance sparked complaints to Ofcom which trebled over night.

But Cheryl brushed off the criticism to perform on The Graham Norton Show.

The singer took to the stage in a red sequined jumpsuit to perform the new single.

But she appeared unfazed by her critics as she joined a troupe of male dancers on Norton's show before sitting down for a chat with the host.

Asked about the track, she said: “It kind of pokes fun at myself. It's not about anybody.

“I needed it [the music break]. You get into a routine and are on a treadmill for years and years. When you have a break, you have time to refocus and re-appreciate everything. It feels good.”

Cheryl’s track sees her calling herself a “sucker” for falling in love too easily as well as mentioning that her friends constantly try to get her to “stop” because they have to “pick up the pieces” after her romances break down.