Simon Cowell, head judge of Britain’s Got Talent, has responded to the feud between Sharon Osbourne and Amanda Holden, confirming he is still friends with Osbourne.

Earlier this month, Osbourne, 71, responded on X, formerly Twitter, to a Daily Mail article in which Holden seemed to reference her remarks on Celebrity Big Brother about Cowell being someone who “doesn’t know how to keep friends”.

The ITV show was rebooted this year and Osbourne appeared alongside Louis Walsh.

Holden, 53, who is on the judging panel of Britain’s Got Talent which made a return to screens on Saturday evening, is quoted as saying that she “hated seeing certain people in a reality show dissing Simon” and claimed that he helped their careers.

Simon Cowell shares thoughts on feud between Sharon Osbourne and Amanda Holden

Speaking to The Mirror, Cowell said: “If you put Sharon and Louis in the house, that’s what you pay them for, they’re going to be controversial.

“I still consider Sharon and Louis really good friends, we could pick up the phone to each other tomorrow.

“I think that’s probably one of the things they’re upset about, because they can never get hold of me.

“Amanda is a great friend, but I really do believe Sharon and Louis are great friends as well.

“I don’t have a phone but from what I heard, what they said about me was actually quite funny.

“And I probably will phone them both in the next week or so because I haven’t spoken to them for a while and it sounds like I should do.”

In her post, Osbourne wrote that Holden did not know her “history in the music industry, my achievements, the artists I have worked with, the shows that I’ve produced, and my global celebrity”.

The former manager of The Smashing Pumpkins and Motorhead added that “the brand of Sharon Osbourne is known worldwide” and she has been “blessed with an amazing lifestyle throughout my entire life”, pointing to homes in the US and the UK.

In the newspaper article, Holden is quoted as saying: “I hated seeing certain people in a reality show dissing Simon – he’s the person who’s given them all the chances, given them a lot of money and a lifestyle they probably wouldn’t have had.

“It’s bitter and pathetic. It was like Cinderella with her two sisters in the background – just stabby, stabby, stabby.”

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During Osbourne’s time on the ITV reality series as a celebrity lodger, she and Irish talent manager Walsh, 71, made several comments about famous faces including Cowell.

Referring to Cowell, former X Factor judge Walsh said: “I haven’t talked to him at all, nothing, zero”.

Osbourne said: “But that’s Simon. He cuts you off. He doesn’t know how to keep friends.”