Cowell admits affair with Minogue

Simon Cowell admits he had a crush on Dannii Minogue, this he said, led to an affair with the 'real man's girl.' Photo / AP/Supplied

A week after news of Dannii Minogue's split from long-term partner Kris Smith come claims from her British X Factor boss Simon Cowell that he had a crush on the Aussie beauty which led to an affair.

British tabloids on Sunday were plastered with Cowell's revelations that in 2007 he and Minogue were secret lovers.

"I had a crush on her. It was Dannii's hair, the sexy clothes, and the tits," Cowell, 52, told a journalist who is penning his biography.

"I was like a schoolboy. She was foxy. She was a real man's girl. Very feminine. It was genuine love."

Mum-of-one Minogue, 40, sat next to Cowell on the panel of the British hit TV talent show, where the pair shared a sometimes feisty on-screen relationship.

When rumours of romance between the couple arose in 2007 Minogue admitted flirting with the music mogul but was clear in her denial of a fling.

"I don't fancy him and I don't have a type I go for, but I like a man who makes me laugh," the Sunday Mirror quoted Minogue as saying.

Cowell, who also denied rumours of an affair at the time, said he hadn't wanted a relationship with Minogue, having just split from his long-term girlfriend.

"They are said to have spent several nights together, but the relationship petered out after a while," an unnamed source told the Mirror.

Minogue later started dating Smith, a former British rugby league player turned model, with whom she has a son.

Meanwhile, Cowell turned his interest to another X Factor judge and singer, Cheryl Cole, but he gives no further details of a relationship with her.

Minogue still works for Cowell on Australia's Got Talent.

She and Smith confirmed their split with messages on Twitter.

"It brings me great sadness to tell you that Kris and I have separated," she wrote.

"We still care for each other and ask for privacy at this difficult time, in particular for our son Ethan who remains our number one priority."

- AAP