Simon Cowell recently sat down with Lulu Garcia-Navarro of The New York Times for an exclusive interview published on November 29 to discuss several topics, including his talent shows, struggles with loss, and fatherhood. In the interview, the record executive recalled when pop icon Britney Spears joined the second season of X Factor as a judge. He discussed how it was made possible and his thoughts on the collaboration.He told The New York Times:“Somebody said, ‘Britney would be interested in working with you.’ And I said, ‘Well, would she talk to me on a call?’ Because I thought, It’s never going to happen. ‘Yes, Friday night, 8 o’clock. She’s going to call you.' On the dot, she calls, and we spoke for two hours. “Simon Cowell shared that when they spoke on the phone, the Gimme More hitmaker sounded very relaxed and passionate about joining the tea.“She was so fun, engaged, passionate, interesting. She just really, really wants to do it, I think, for the right reasons, which was to be a mentor. I’m like: Brilliant. I want a second call, because maybe this was a fluke. So we have a second call, and it’s even better. I thought: Wow, whatever I’ve heard about her, she is so smart, so nice, so friendly. I think we’re going to get on really, really well.”He added that he ensured the star had the room to leave anytime she wanted because she didn't seem comfortable and happy:“We do a press launch, and Britney’s there, and she doesn’t look that happy. And I said, ‘What’s the matter?’ She said, ‘I didn’t realize there was going to be so much press around.’ And I went, ‘Well, it is a press launch.’ And then on the show, she really struggled with saying no to people. Just didn’t like it. The first day I sat with her, and I said: ‘Look, there’s two choices. If you really don’t want to do this, I’ll get you out of it.”When Simon Cowell was reminded that Britney Spears announced that she hated her time on the talent show in her memoir, Simon Cowell said:“That’s a shame. I did say to the network, ‘I don’t know if she wants to do it, and if she doesn’t, we’ve got to give her the option of being able to leave.’ No one was forcing her. She also mentioned to me how much she didn’t like pop music. She was into a different kind of music. So I think she probably struggled with mentoring the artists.”More details on Simon Cowell’s interview with The New York TimesSimon Cowell discussed several topics during his exclusive interview with The New York Times. He spoke about forming the successful British boy band, One Direction. View this post on Instagram Instagram Post“I remember having to say no to a bunch of them, including Liam. And I thought, Christ, I’m going to say no to him for the second time? And then we went, What if we put him with him, with him, with him? It took about 20 minutes, honestly, to make the decision.”Also read: Did Zeta-Jones and Michael Douglas "blacklist" CNN? Couple deny rumor as conservative pundit extends an olive branch post on-air debate with their son