Louis Walsh believes the decision to sack him from 'The X Factor' in 2005 was ageist.
The 58-year-old music manager admits he was "devastated" when he was removed from the panel and replaced with Brian Friedman, even though he was eventually brought back onto the show.
He told Glamour magazine: "I was sacked - that's the truth of it. And I was devastated. When I got the phone call I felt like I'd been run over by a train: I just wasn't prepared for it.
"ITV wanted to make it younger, and so they axed me. It was like a public execution. It honestly was the worst thing that has ever happened to me. But luckily, the people who sacked me are no longer there and I am! And thank God, because I could never do a normal 9-5 job, and I love music."
Louis also believes he is very similar to the show's stalwart Simon Cowell, although confesses he is not as vain as him.
He said: "Apart from his funny haircut, we're very similar. He's always trying these facials and buys unbelievably expensive face creams from Harrods. Oh, and he has this hairdryer he carries around."
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