X Factor axe The Mend in new ‘fix’ row – The Sun
on June 23rd, 2011 at 11:19 pmTV Biz revealed how The Mend caused a stir at their auditions when it emerged they were managed by ex-Take That supremo Nigel Martin-Smith.
Acts are banned from having managers – but Martin-Smith claims show supremo Cowell was aware of the situation and had “given the go-ahead”.
‘Fix’ row … Ronan Parke
And he believes Simon has kicked off The Mend now only because he fears a massive public backlash if they won. Cowell was caught up in a row over BGT’s Ronan Parke, amid false claims he was groomed by him to win the talent show.
Take That’s Gary Barlow has been a fan of The Mend in his judging role, leading to similar claims that the X Factor is a “fix”.
But Martin-Smith insisted: “This is all about Simon Cowell saving face. It’s a disgrace. No one from X Factor has had anything to do with the band and Simon Cowell hasn’t even met them.”
Last night an X Factor spokesman said: “It’s against the rules for any act to be party to a management agreement. As The Mend are currently under a management contract they can’t continue in the competition.”
An insider added: “If Nigel really had these boys’ interests at heart he’d stop being their manager and allow them to follow their dreams on the X Factor. If the lads decided they don’t want a manager any more then we would welcome them back.”
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