Katie Waissel claims she was sexually assaulted by X Factor worker

KATIE Waissel claims she was sexually assaulted by an X Factor worker at a luxury hotel.

Katie, 35, said the terrifying ordeal happened when she met the man to talk about recording work.

She said: “I can still smell him. I was paralysed with shock. All I could think was, ‘How am I going to leave this room?’

“I was a victim but I wouldn’t allow myself to recognise just how terrible it had been. I’ve never spoken before as I thought I’d be blacklisted and never work again.

“I was vulnerable but times have changed and I now feel bold enough to speak out.”

Katie claimed the incident happened in the US some years after she reached the semi-final of X Factor in 2010.

Cowell’s company began a probe as soon as they became aware of the allegations. The man, whom we are not identifying for legal reasons and who no longer works with Cowell, said the claims were entirely untrue.

In the end, Katie decided not to make a formal complaint as she was pregnant and did not want any added stress.

But she says she now feels traumatised by her time on the show. She said: “I was so focused on being successful and was vulnerable to a man like this who exploited that.

“If I could go back in time, I would never have taken part.”

A spokesman for Cowell’s company Syco Entertainment said: “We asked Katie to lodge a complaint with us and detail the allegations for that purpose.

“Despite a number of requests to Katie asking her to detail the claims to us, she chose not to make a complaint over his behaviour.

“As a result, and without evidence to the contrary, we were obliged to accept his denial of the claims. We, of course, remain ready and keen to investigate her claims if she chooses to detail them to us.”