Louis Walsh biggest feuds – fat-shaming, ‘vile’ X Factor stars and slamming TV presenter

Louis Walsh has had a number of spats with other celebrities over the years.

The 71-year-old has been in the industry for decades, having managed the likes of Boyzone and Westlife and worked as a judge on The X Factor. Louis is currently in the Celebrity Big Brother house and certainly hasn’t held back on how he feels about others in the public eye.

The former music manager hasn’t been afraid to speak his mind in the house, slamming Meghan Markle on a number of occasions and openly sharing his dislike for Prince Harry. Earlier in the week, Louis let rip when he was asked about former X Factor contestants Jedward, branding the Irish duo “vile”.

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But there are plenty more stars the Irish TV personality has feuded with. Here Daily Star looks back at some of Louis’ biggest celebrity clashes.

Cheryl

Arguably his most famous spat of all , Louis’ feud with Cheryl kickstarted nearly two decades ago. The duo first crossed paths in 2001 when Louis became a judge on ITV’s Popstars: The Rivals.

Louis helped form Girls Aloud, made up of Cheryl, Nadine Coyle, Kimberley Walsh, Sarah Harding and Nicola Roberts. The girl group went on to win the show and achieved the coveted Christmas No1 spot in 2002.

But they didn’t have the best relationship with Louis. In 2017, 42-year-old Kimberley recalled the moment when Louis fat-shamed them in their early days.

“We were doing our video for Love Machine in 2004 and Louis Walsh waltzed in and said to us, ‘Oh, none of you are fat any more! Brilliant, that’s great’,” she told The Sun. Louis and Cheryl were brought back together in 2008 when she joined the judging panel on The X Factor.

It was no secret that the TV duo didn’t get on, with their feud often spilling out on-screen. Louis once told the Promise This hitmaker that she looked orange on air, while she hit back, branding him a “silly old man looking for attention.”

Louis touched upon their fragile relationship after he left The X Factor in 2014. . “I haven’t seen her, I haven’t heard from her. We didn’t get on great on X Factor because she didn’t get the fun of it. She didn’t understand that side of it,” he said.

Their feud was reignited by Louis in 2019 when he accused Cheryl of lip-syncing before suggesting she should return to the ITV show as a contestant rather than a judge. Chatting to Daily Star Online at the Spectacle Wearer of the Year Awards, the outspoken Irish star initially kept things civil when asked about a possible Cheryl X Factor return.

The ITV regular said: “Look, she is in the dancing show…” However, never one to keep his opinions to himself, Louis savagely continued: “X Factor as a contestant? “As a contestant she would be good. I don’t know if she could win.”

In a withering put-down to the Geordie starlet, Louis added: “She doesn’t mime. “It’s called lip-syncing… lip-sync for your life.”

Jedward

Although Jedward and Louis hadn’t spoken publicly about their views of each other for a couple of years, Louis decided bring their feud back to the surface during a recent episode of Celebrity Big Brother. John and Edward Grimes, better known as Jedward, appeared on The X Factor in 2009 and were mentored by Louis.

He then served as their manager after the show finished before they decided to part ways. In 2016, the Irish twins hit out at Louis after he branded them as “the most embarrassing thing to happen to him.”

The 32-year-olds quickly fired back as they claimed: “I think we are the most financially beneficial act of his career in the last 10 years.” John echoed his brother’s statement, adding: “I don’t think he took us under his wing.

“I think we were already flying and he was like, ‘Oh I think I want a part of that. I think he got old. It’s like someone saying behind your back and you are like, ‘wait, I didn’t know there was a problem.'”

Louis then told the world how he really felt about the identical duo, branding them “vile”. In the episode, Coronation Street star Colson Smith asked him: “What were Jedward like?” Not afraid to speak his mind, he responded: “They were vile.

“I got five mission quid for them though, I swear on my mothers life.” Explaining more, he added: “They were vile. But they were novelty and it was great for the show. It’s all about the show.”

Just minutes after ITV aired the scenes, Jedward clapped back on X, formerly Twitter, criticising their former manager. “Louis Walsh is a cold hearted b****** who didn’t even send us flowers when our mom died,” they wrote.

They added: “What an absolute weirdo with bad intentions for all ..does he like anyone? Louis reopened these wounds all by himself being spiteful and disrespectful we aren’t going to have our character taken. Justice will be served.”

Cat Deeley

After she made comments about The X Factor, Louis had it out with Cat Deeley, who now presents This Morning. The 47-year-old suggested viewers were becoming bored with the format and suggested it should be taken off air.

“I think every big show like that is cyclical, like Britain’s Got Talent or America’s Got Talent,” she said of the show. It was Opportunity Knocks about 25 years ago – they are hugely successful and then people get bored, and then they put them away for a bit, then they miss them, then they bring them back.”

Louis immediately hit out at the former SMTV: Live host, claiming she made the comments after failing to land a presenting gig on the show herself. He previously told The Mirror: “I think the truth is that Cat would love to be hosting the show but we have already got Dermot [O’Leary] and he is the best in the business.

In a brutal blow, he added: “She can stay on Sky 1 where nobody is watching… It is a bit of the green-eyed monster from Cat… Sorry Cat, we don’t need you.”

Ronan Keating

Louis had a habit of falling out with members of the bands he managed. Desperate to form an Irish version of Take That, Louis set out to find Ireland’s next biggest pop stars.

Ronan was just 16 when he became a member of Boyzone, after responding to an advertisement in a newspaper about auditioning for the part. The boyband, made up on Ronan, Keith Duffy, Stephen Gately, Shane Lynch, and Mikie Graham, became one of the most successful bands of all time, with Louis as their manager.

However, after they disbanded, their relationship with Louis became incredibly sour. When asked about Ronan in a previous interview, Louis said: “Can we move on? I don’t manage him anymore… I’m not in the fan club.

“It’s an Irish thing, we tend to say it like it is. We have to be honest as well. Nothing wrong with it (shooting from the hip).” The 47-year-old has spoken about his rift with the ITV star, and while Ronan branded him “bitter”, he still credits Louis for getting him to where he is today.

Speaking on Magic FM’s Magic in the Morning Breakfast Show, Ronan explained: “He was very important to me as a mentor and I’m grateful for the opportunities he gave me, because I wouldn’t be here without them. But there’s only so much you can give back and be so grateful, and for that not to be appreciated or respected.”

He added: “Really he should just move on and be happy and grateful for what he’s achieved – he’s had a great career,” said Ronan. “It’s no life to be bitter and talking negatively about people – it festers in your soul.”

Ronan isn’t the only member of Boyzone who has had fallings out with Louis. In September 2018, Ronan and Shane appeared on the Dan Wootton Interview podcast, where they opened up about working alongside Louis.

“One day Louis is your best friend and the next he doesn’t know you. You never know what version of Louis you’re going to get,” Ronan said. Agreeing, Shane added: “You can meet him for lunch one day and have four hours of gossip and great fun and the next day he’s in the papers slagging you off.”

One of the biggest digs he made at Ronan came in 2019, when Louis was asked about Shane Lynch catching a bug while the group were performing on their farewell tour. “I heard that ya. He was probably listening to Ronan. I’d get sick if I had to listen to him as well,” he told The Examiner.

Louis launched a fresh attack on Ronan during an episode of Celebrity Big Brother earlier in the week. His remarks came when the housemates were treated to some music during the evening and Ronan’s solo single Life Is A Rollercoaster began playing.

“Great song,” Louis said to Sharon Osbourne. But he quickly added: “He was such a p***k. Everyone thinks he’s a lovely guy. He hasn’t had a hit record since I left. He sacked me.”

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Source: Celebrities - dailystar.co.uk