The father-of-one was completely caught off guard when contestant Josh Daniel came on stage and gave a rousing performance of Labrinth’s song Jealous.
An emotional Josh was seen explaining how the song was a tribute to his best friend who died two years previous, telling the camera: “The lyrics kind of say, ‘I’m jealous that you’re happy without me’. I kind of see it in the sense that I’m jealous that he’s now happy in heaven; that he’s moved onto a better place and that he can’t still be with me.”
As emotional as the performance was for Josh however, it seems that Simon was taken completely unaware as the message of the song hit home. Simon lost his beloved mother, Julie Brett, just before The X Factor auditions began last month, and the moment clearly proved too much for the music mogul.
The 55-year-old was seen wiping away tears, urging co-star Cheryl Fernandez-Versini to take the decision to a vote. When the camera pulled away after Josh was given a thumbs-up from Simon, Cheryl and third judge Nick Grimshaw; Simon was seen walking away, tissue in hand, sunglasses covering his eyes.
Check out the emotional footage in the video below.
