But it seems one Lancashire granny may have thawed the iceman's iron heart during her The X Factor audition.

After Louise Heatley's impressive rendition of Duffy's hit Mercy, Cowell told her "You have a beautiful, beautiful face."

The 48-year-old mother-of four and grandmother-of-two is keeping tight-lipped about how far she got in the show – but was quick to jump Cowell's defence when he later angered fellow judge Cheryl Cole.

He said Louise was the difference between a Ford Focus and a classic car – a scene not included in Saturday's show – and that she was "old fashioned."

Cole thought he was being rude, but nursery teacher Louise said: "What he was trying to say, and he meant it in a positive way, was that he liked that look – a bit of Sixties style."

Soul fan Louise, of Ribbleton, finally took the plunge and put her vocals to the test after only starting singing seriously at the age of 32.

She said: "Every year I send off for the application forms but never apply. This time my partner Norman said 'do it, you will never know if you don't' so I am glad that he pushed me."

After several auditions to knock out most of the 182,000 other hopefuls, Louise finally got to meet "Simon Cowell and company".

She said: "It was one of the scariest things I have ever done. My stomach was in knots and my heart was thumping."

Partner Norman Draper, 54, who describes himself as her number one fan, said: "She is amazing. It took all these years to get out there and be confident. It's such a waste, she should be performing in the West End of London, and everywhere!"

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