Simon Cowell says Camila Cabello ‘wasn’t supposed to audition’ for The X Factor

‘I happened to go backstage, and I saw her crying,’ judge revealed

Simon Cowell has claimed that Camila Cabello came close to missing her big break on The X Factor because she was never meant to audition in the first place.

The singer-songwriter rose to fame as a contestant on the US version of the reality show back in 2012.

Cabello auditioned with a rendition of Aretha Franklin’s “Respect”, which was never aired for copyright reasons. She was, however, ushered through to the next round.

After being eliminated in the “bootcamp” stage of the show, Cabello was roped into the girl group Fifth Harmony, who eventually finished third.

Speaking to Extra, Cowell recalled how a chance meeting with Cabello backstage was responsible for her inclusion in the series in the first place.

“ She wasn’t really supposed to audition,” he revealed. “I happened to go backstage, and I saw her crying, asked her why she was crying, and she said, you know, it was too late for her to audition because she was a reserve, whatever that meant.

“I said to her, ‘Well, I’m one of the producers, you just got an audition.’”

Cabello split from Fifth Harmony four years later to pursue a solo career.