Jedward: X Factor twins John and Edward can't win, says Louis Walsh

They have divided nations and been dismissed as a "clown act". Now Jedward's mentor, pop mogul Louis Walsh, has confessed he doesn't think his act can win 'The X Factor'.

Broadcaster ITV has been flooded with 3,000 complaints since Simon Cowell gave Irish twins John and Edward Grimes an 11th-hour reprieve on Sunday night, allowing them to continue on the singing show for another week.

British communications watchdog, Ofcom, is understood to have received several hundred more complaints and will publish an official figure today.

However, a spokesman said that no formal investigation will be launched as there was no breach of the broadcasting code.

Irate viewers bombarded ITV with complaints following Mr Cowell's decision to keep the duo in the competition, despite his repeated criticism of them as "vile little creatures".

Meanwhile the 'comments' section of the show's website was temporarily closed yesterday due to "technical difficulties" after recording 2,599 posts.

The twins' mixture of tortuous singing and dance routines has been credited with making this series of 'The X Factor' the most closely followed yet, with a record 16.6 million British viewers tuning in for Sunday night's show.

Another 672,000 Irish fans watched it on TV3 - another record figure.

However, despite their clear pulling power, Jedward's mentor Louis Walsh admitted he doesn't believe they will be crowned the winners.

"Honestly, I don't think they can win. I think there is a possibility of getting to the final," he said on RTE's 'Gerry Ryan Show'.

The judge also said he was very disappointed with the initial reaction of the Irish public to the brothers.

He said: "They got a really hard time from people in Ireland, from people who have never met them and didn't know them.

"I had it before with Boyzone and different bands before. People slag you off . . . it's a weird thing, it's an Irish thing."

Source: The Belfast Telegraph