Louis Walsh claims he "never wanted" Girls Aloud despite creating the girl group on 'Popstars: The Rivals'

In an apparent dig at Cheryl, 38 - who married 41-year-old footballer Ashley Cole - he ranted: "I thought I was going to get a boy band - I was convinced.

"And they gave me the girls. I didn't want them. Girls don't like each other in bands, it's very simple. They all want to be the lead girl.

"They all want to go out with the footballer. They all want to be the skinniest.

"Just look at the Sugababes, any line-up they had, and they were brilliant. So I had these five girls in Girls Aloud and we thankfully found this great song, 'Sound of the Underground'."

Louis, who was also a judge on 'X Factor', saw hundreds of wannabe pop singers win places in girl and boy bands on ITV's 'Popstars: The Rivals', which also featured DJ Dr Fox, 60, former Spice Girl Geri Halliwell, 49, and Pete Waterman, 75, on the judging panel.

Walsh, who has managed Westlife and Boyzone, added on the 'White Wine - Question Time' podcast: "I didn't want to be on TV, I was happy managing bands. I was making good money as a ¬manager."

Despite the success of shows such as 'Pop Stars' and 'X Factor', Walsh added TV talent shows will never again be as popular or as honest due to "woke" culture.

He added: "The shows are never going to be as good as that again. It was real, it was funny, it was everything.

"Everything is too woke and too perfect now. Everyone is afraid to have an opinion.

"I couldn't do it because I don't have a great filter, I like to say it as I see it.

"You know the people at home are thinking the very same thing as you.

"It's boring now - everyone is wonderful and you're going to be a star and all that.

"I mean, they're not going to be a star, you know? I think people have to be honest. I like to say it like it is. People either have it or they haven't got it."

Despite Walsh's belief most contestants won't reach stardom, Girls Aloud - which consisted of Cheryl, Nadine Coyle, 37, Nicola Roberts, 36, Kimberley Walsh, 40, and Sarah Harding, who died of cancer aged 39 last year - had 20 Top 10 hits and sold more than 4.3 million singles and four million albums in Britain alone.