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Simon Cowell claims Britney Spears could have killed her pop career after her disastrous performance at the MTV Video Music Awards.
The music mogul says there's no way he would have let the Toxic singer - who opened the Las Vegas ceremony on Sunday - take to the stage if he was her manager.
The X Factor judge told Britain's The Sun newspaper: "If I had been looking after Britney I'd have taken one look at her in rehearsals and I wouldn't have allowed her on the stage.
"The song wasn't right, the image wasn't right and she just wasn't rehearsed. If she'd turned up and given that performance on The X Factor auditions I wouldn't have put her through to the next round.
"The problem she has now is that she could have killed her career. It's difficult to come back from that performance, for a while at least."
During her lip-syncing routine of new single Gimme More, the 25-year-old mother-of-two looked bleary eyed and unfit as she struggled to keep up with her energetic backing dancers, who threw themselves around stripper poles in an S&M-inspired set.
Despite Simon's damning view of her performance, Britney is being offered a second chance at a comeback by a US TV show.
Bosses at Extra have invited Britney to their studios to "show the world what you've got".
A statement released by the programme said: "Extra is opening its doors to Britney Spears for a second chance at a comeback.
"We've made the call to Spears, inviting her to perform at Extra on our stage in Los Angeles or in Las Vegas at the Extra Lounge in Planet Hollywood's Hotel and Resort.
"Britney come perform Gimme More and show the world what you've got."
- BANG! SHOWBIZ
