Olly Murs says his ‘X Factor’ presenting stint "wasn’t a nice experience".
The 34-year-old star was inundated with online abuse when he accidentally mixed up the judges’ scores and announced Monica Michael was being sent home while co-hosting the show in 2015, and the singer underwent therapy after he "bottled up" his feelings and started to have panic attacks.
He said: "’The X Factor’ wasn’t a nice experience. I was targeted by trolls and the media.
"When I finished the show, I wanted to focus on music and get away from that, but what I did was bottle it up. I didn’t think it affected me.
"However, when I got back to performing on live TV, that was when the effects of what happened came back to haunt me.
"I was like, ‘Oh s**t, why am I having panic attacks and anxiety?’
"It took me a few years to pluck up the courage to speak to someone. I only went a couple of times but talking to someone who wasn’t judgmental helped me to understand why I was reacting or feeling the way I was."
Despite being affected by the experience, the former ‘X Factor’ contestant is still rooting for the talent show, but he hopes ‘The Voice’ – on which he judges alongside Sir Tom Jones. will.i.am, and Jennifer Hudson – "does better".
Speaking to the latest issue of OK! magazine, he added: "The X Factor’s always got a special place in my heart, I hope it does well but I hope ‘The Voice UK’ does better."
Earlier this year, Olly admitted he would’ve gone back on ‘The X Factor’ as a judge, but has "always wanted" to be on ‘The Voice’.
He said: "I made no secret about wanting to do it (‘The X Factor’) again.
"I had loads of offers of different things. But ‘The Voice’ was always the one that I wanted. I love the show very much. It’s fantastic and it’s great to be here."
Olly Murs: X Factor hosting ‘wasn’t nice experience’
