Simon Cowell says the sexual assault of a former 'X Factor' contestant was 'horrific and heart-breaking'

Simon Cowell said the sexual assault of an "X Factor" contestant was "horrific" and "heartbreaking."
Lucy Spraggan told The Guardian she was raped by a hotel porter while competing on the show.
She was critical of the support offered by the show's producers after the incident.

Simon Cowell described the sexual assault of a former "X Factor" contestant as "horrific and heart-breaking" after she criticized the support provided by the show's producers.

Lucy Spraggan told The Guardian she was raped by a hotel porter while competing on the UK version of the show in 2012 aged 20.

Spraggan, who performed her own songs in her audition for "The X Factor," pulled out of the show during production, citing illness.

But the real reason for her decision was because she'd been raped, she told The Guardian, adding that the incident occurred after a night out with her fellow contestant Rylan Clark and the show's producers.

Spraggan was dropped off at her hotel after they'd gone to a nightclub, and a porter took her to her room. She told the newspaper he later returned and assaulted her.

"I woke up the next day with this sense of sheer dread," Spraggan told the Guardian. "I don't think I've ever felt that level of confusion since. I knew that I'd been raped, but I could not process that. So I put my clothes on and went into autopilot."

Lucy Spraggan at the DIVA Awards in London in April 2022.
Tim Whitby/Getty Images

A representative for Fremantle, which produced "The X Factor," told the newspaper that the porter was later "prosecuted and imprisoned," per The Guardian, and that it was "extremely sorry" for Spraggan's ordeal.

"Since then, we have done our very best to learn lessons from these events and improve our aftercare processes," a representative said.

Spraggan wasn't identified by the media due to UK laws preventing the identification of victims of sexual assault, but she waived her right to anonymity for the interview. It coincides with the publication on July 20 of her memoir, "Process: Finding my way through."

Spraggan, now 31, told The Guardian she was offered no support from producers after the trial. The singer wrote to the production company seeking an explanation.

She said Cowell later called her, telling her he had thought about her many times over the years and was "truly sorry."

In a statement to BBC News and The Guardian, Cowell, who didn't appear on "The X Factor" the year that the attack occurred, said: "When I was given the opportunity to speak to Lucy, I was able to personally tell her how sorry I was about everything she has been through."

"The X Factor" has faced criticism from other former UK contestants over their treatment. Several lawsuits are reportedly in the works, including one from Katie Waissel.

Fremantle, and Syco, Simon Cowell's production company, did not immediately respond to requests for comment from Insider.

ITV, the network that broadcasts the show in the UK, told Insider in a statement: "We have the deepest compassion for Lucy and everything she has endured as a result of this horrific ordeal. We commend her resilience and bravery. The X Factor was produced by Thames [part of Freemantle] and Syco, who were primarily responsible for duty of care towards all of its programme contributors."

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