Dannii wows at Awards in wake of Cowell rumours

Dannii Minogue has had a lot to deal with these past few weeks, with the announcement of her split from long-term partner Kris Smith and now the revelation of a ‘secret’ relationship with Simon Cowell.

Last night Dannii put on a brave face, making her first public appearance since the split to present a prize at the Logie Awards in Melbourne, Australia.

Looking stunning in a full-length plunging purple gown, and with her hair styled into a cute pixie crop, Dannii smiled and laughed her way through as she helped induct her close friend Molly Meldrum into the TV Week Hall of Fame.

Dannii made the appearance despite the fact she is reportedly devastated at revelations she had allegedly slept with X Factor supremo Cowell on more than one occasion.

In his new biography by former BBC journalist Tom Bower, it is claimed that Cowell confessed to a friend about the liaisons between himself and Dannii.

According to his book, Sweet Revenge: The Intimate Life Of Simon Cowell, the music executive said to a pal: ‘There were a few bonks and then it petered out while I was in America.’

Recent reports suggest friends of Dannii are worried that she won’t be able to cope with all the pressure of the situation as she is still trying to deal with her split from former long-term partner, and father of her son Ethan, Kris Smith.

One friend told the Mirror newspaper: ‘It was all such a long time ago and to have to deal with it now in the wake of the last few weeks is just too much.

‘She is incredibly raw and this is the last thing she wants to endure.’

They added to the newspaper: ‘Dannii was very much collateral damage in all of this. It’s betrayal, pure and simple.

‘And it looks very much now like Simon simply hired Dannii, used her, then spat her out afterwards.’

Simon took to his Twitter page late last night to poke fun at the revelations, saying: ‘Just seen the TV ad for the unauthorised book on me. Yikes!’

In the book, there are several quotes from Cowell speaking about the affair – even though Dannii and Simon had both denied it in 2008 when it was alleged to have taken place – before she got together with Kris Smith.

He is quoted as saying: ‘I had a crush on her. It was Dannii’s hair, the sexy clothes and the t**s. I was like a schoolboy. She was foxy. She was a real man’s girl. Very feminine.’

Although, it’s also claimed in the book that Simon felt he was not ready for a relationship having split with long-term girlfriend Terri Seymour before Dannii became his conquest.

The book describes how Dannii became Cowell’s target when he changed the X Factor judging panel in 2007 to include her, allegedly calling her a ‘new toy.’

And that same year, he said: ‘Dannii reckons there’s a picture on The X Factor website where I’m staring at her bottom.

‘I probably was… but I think most people would if they were sitting next to her. She was probably sticking it out on purpose.

‘Every guy in the world fancies Dannii. She’s become a sex symbol since joining the show, and the contestants love her. She’s got that Sophia Loren, movie-star sex appeal, I love sitting next to her.’

However, fans of the ITV talent show will remember that the pair didn’t always sit next to each other.

When Minogue first appeared on the show back in 2007, she took pride place at the judging panel sitting next to Cowell while fellow female judge Sharon Osbourne sat next to Louis Walsh.

This was also around the same time when Minogue was forced to deny that she was close to the X Factor mogul after the publication of a photo appeared to show the pair apparently holding hands in the back of a car.

She said: ‘We were not holding hands. But no one believes me. It was the angle of the picture.’