Simon Cowell has confirmed that he first considered hiring Emma Pierson to be the fourth judge on the new series of Britain's Got Talent.
The 49-year-old told The Star that he had approached the Hotel Babylon actress to see if she was interested in joining him, Amanda Holden and Piers Morgan on the judging panel.
Cowell said: "She's very sexy and talented so I went to meet her in LA.
"I guess it was kind of a job interview."
He added: "Emma is first and foremost an actress but I really wanted her to come on the show. I wanted to move her to the next step.
"Of course it didn't work out - we got Kelly (Brook) and then we had to let her go.
"I don't know what would have happened if Emma had joined."
Cowell recently admitted that he was "personally responsible" for the fiasco surrounding the hiring and firing of Kelly Brook.
The entertainment mogul asked the 29-year-old model to join the judging panel of the hit talent show in January but she was asked to leave after only three days in the post.
Simon claimed that the format of the show was "confused" with four judges as there was the possibility of voting decisions ending in a deadlock.
He told The Sun: "The decision was made very quickly, we probably didn't consult enough people in hindsight.
"It took forever to film and it really was one person too many for the show. We made a mistake.
"Kelly was absolutely incredible about the whole thing, really understanding, she didn't lash out or play the victim.
"We've spoken since and we're planning to meet up in LA. She's a really nice girl."
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