CELEB Rumours of her death...

MUSIC mogul Simon Cowell said he thought Cheryl had “died” during her controversial X Factor performance.

The presenter said he was concerned when the Geordie star collapsed on the floor when her song Love Made Me Do It came to a close.

Cheryl’s much-discussed performance on the ITV show has divided opinion with fans, with some panning it and others praising it.

Simon was seen pointing towards Cheryl with a slightly confused look on his face when her song finished.

And speaking on This Morning, he revealed what he was thinking.

He said: “Well I thought she was dead at the end, actually.

“I remember her laying there and I said to Louis [Tomlinson], ‘I think she’s dead’. And then she stood up, so I was laughing afterwards.”

Cheryl’s performance was so controversial that more than 100 people complained to broadcasting watchdog Ofcom.

The singer’s dance routine was accused of being too sexual for a family show, prompting Cheryl to uncharacteristically speak out and defend her performance.

“I did watch my performance back and I LOVED IT!” she tweeted as she took aim at “unbalanced negativity”.

And appearing on The Graham Norton Show she was all smiles as she dazzled in a seethrough red jumpsuit and sang Love Made Me Do It for the prerecorded show. Cheryl on Friday’s Graham Norton Show