British singer Steve Brookstein arrives at the Brit Awards in London, February 9, 2005.
British singer Steve Brookstein arrives at the Brit Awards in London, February 9, 2005. REUTERS/Stephen Hird SH/SN

The first “The X Factor” UK champ Steve Brookstein was left shaken after Simon Cowell’s ex-girlfriends tried to seduce him while the music mogul was watching. The 46-year-old crooner claims he was subjected to the traumatising experience just hours before the show’s finale in 2004.

Brookstein, who was under Cowell’s team of 25 and Overs, was up against the group G4 on the finale of the show. Understandably, he was feeling nervous ahead of the final, but instead of the usual pep talk, his mentor Cowell had something else in mind to make him feel more relaxed.

In his new autobiography “Getting Over The X,” Brookstein detailed what Cowell had done that the aspiring singer thought was appalling. He was summoned by Cowell to his dressing room, where Brookstein found him with singer Sinitta and glamour model Jackie St Clair, both had dated Cowell.

“Simon just sat there smoking and grinning,” Brookstein recalled in his book. “Jackie St Clair opened her long coat. That left just a little thong and high heels. It was impossible to avoid her breasts as she strutted towards me. Then Sinitta followed behind.”

He added, “Both had me up against the dressing room door. Sinitta undid her top and began to touch me. Simon just sat there beaming.”

The episode wasn’t what Brookstein had in mind. The women finally backed down after he told them to stop. He then “tore into” Cowell for subjecting him to such treatment. Cowell allegedly reasoned out that he was just trying to relax the contestant.

He wasn’t relaxed, though. The episode even brought back his memories of being abused during his teenage years.

“over and over in my mind were his words that he was trying to relax me, but for me this was the beginning of the end,” he wrote.

Despite the upsetting incident, he went on to win “The X Factor” that night. His prize included a £ 1 million recording contract with Syco Music, the record label founded by Cowell. However, he left the label after nine months.

He was subsequently left out of the Ultimate X Factor Mash Up video ITV has created to celebrate the show’s 10th anniversary in 2013. He wasn’t alone, though. Three previous winners of the show were also left out, namely, Shayne Ward (2005), Leon Jackson (2007) and Matt Cardle (2010).

This isn’t the first time Brookstein has spoken out against Cowell. In 2012, he recorded an audio of his response to Cowell’s “full page propaganda piece” against him in the tabloid The Sun. Cowell called Brookstein “horrible, ungrateful and totally selfish,” which Brookstein denied.