Julie passed away in July (15) aged 89, after months of ill health following a stroke, and Cowell postponed the beginning of filming the new series for three days to mourn.

He now reveals he was tempted to quit on the audition round so he could grieve, but his mum would not have been happy with that idea, and powering on with the show actually help him deal with his loss.

Cowell tells Britain's Weekend magazine, "I thought about it long and hard. I gave myself two or three days... I know it sounds like a cliche, but having such a strong bond with my mum meant I knew exactly what she'd have said... It would have been, 'This is your show, you love the show, go back and do your job'. She was a former dancer, very much 'the show must go on'. I think she'd have been disappointed if I'd said 'I'm not going to do it'.

"I'm not going to lie. There were times it was incredibly difficult but then there were other times I was able to switch my mind off and concentrate on what was happening and the contestants.

"It wasn't like my father's death, which was a huge shock. I had my time with my mum to say goodbye. The biggest regret you'd ever have is not to have the chance to say how you feel about someone... Not that there's ever a good time for it to happen, and it is still all a bit raw. I know I'll miss her every day, but I also know I'm incredibly grateful to have had her... She was an optimist, my mum, and I think I've got that in me as well. I'm trying not to be the victim here."

The new series of The X Factor U.K. begins airing on Saturday (29Aug15).