Simon Cowell gets "more of a buzz" working with One Direction than he does from being on TV.
The British star - who has returned to 'The X Factor' judging panel in the UK - claims he doesn't miss "being a d**khead" on the American version of the reality series, which was axed earlier this year due to poor ratings after three seasons, because working with the boyband requires him to use his brain.
He said: "Luckily, I was dragged kicking and screaming on to TV in the first place. I'm not going to deny that I've liked it. I mean, I've had a great time. There are definitely more pluses than minuses to it, and there is quite a buzz when people recognise you. But if I'm being honest, it's more of a buzz being part of One Direction than being on television."
Simon, 55, admits it was "emotional" watching the 'Story of My Life' hitmakers perform in front of 80,000 people at the Rose Bowl in Los Angeles recently, and hopes he can find another group like them in the future.
He told The Financial Times: "I always say to my staff, when we sit in creative meetings, beating ourselves up, 'One good idea a year can pay for the next 10.' I was at the Rose Bowl, looking down at the crowd that was watching my group. I felt like I'd really used my brain, rather than being a d**khead on an American TV show."
He added: "A mile before we got there, they'd closed the roads off and we were allowed through the police barricades. That's when I felt the effect that five people have had on California from a show we made in the UK. Having a cigarette with the boys a few minutes before they went on was emotional, it was a good feeling. [That kind of success] isn't going to happen every year but it might just happen again. That's what it's about - you go in there thinking, 'I hope it does.' "
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