The new US “X factor” judge attended a press conference with Simon to mark the start of the
boot camp round of the show when he made the remark.

Simon said that 30-year-old singer’s judging style is tough and brutal.
‘Britney’s quite mean, as you’ll discover,’ Cowell joked.

“She’s as sweet as a lemon,” he said.
Cowell went on to heap praise on the singer. The media mogul admitted that although Britney
is a tough cookie, she is a very talented mentor.

“I was fascinated with her as a person, as a pop star, and there’s something intriguing
about her, and she’s a really good judge,” he continued.

According to Britney, being a reality-show judge “made sense” for her career.

“I adore Simon and it was something I really wanted to do,” she said.

The news about Britney’s “feisty streak” will come as no surprise to fans after a new promo
was released which saw her laying into contestants with a series of withering put downs.

Fox executive Kevin Reilly told reporters that viewers would “be surprised just how feisty
she is.”

“She is not afraid to lay it on the line. She’s tough. She knows what she’s doing. She’s
been around, she’s seen it all and she definitely lays it on the line,” he added about
Spears’s judging style.

19-year-old Demi Lovato is also joining Britney and veteran panel member LA Reid.

“I think that the expertise that I’m able to contribute is I’m listening to the radio right
now and I know a lot of what my friends like, and we’re in our early 20s and late teens,’
Demi Lovato said.