A former X Factor contestant studied law so she could sue Simon Cowell after the show ‘almost ruined my life’, reports report

• A former X Factor contestant told the Sunday Times she plans to sue Simon Cowell’s company.

• Katie Weisel said she retrained as a lawyer so she could take legal action against Syko.

• Weisel said she sought treatment for PTSD after The X Factor, and that Syco failed in its duty of care.

A former X Factor contestant has reportedly retrained in law so she can sue Simon Cowell’s firm over her experience on the show.

Katie Weisel, 36, appeared on the British version of The X Factor in 2010, For the Sunday Times of London She planned to take legal action against Syco Entertainment, claiming that it had failed in its obligation to provide for a duty of care to itself and the other contenders.

She told the newspaper that she received an acid attack and death threats after becoming a hate figure on the show, and made it to the quarter-finals.

She was not allowed to leave the house she lived in during the live performances, said Waissel, and could hardly eat or sleep, and has since sought treatment and counseling for post-traumatic stress disorder.

She told The Sunday Times that last year she decided to attend BPP University in London, graduating with a postgraduate law degree. The qualification would allow her to work as a paralegal or to take additional training to become a lawyer.

“There’s a lot of us so cornered, and it’s just not fair,” Weisel told the newspaper. “There was a massive imbalance of power.” “I just wanted to be able to understand [the contracts] And to protect people from being manipulated in the future.”

Wissel, who finished seventh, told The Sunday Times she was paid £1 for appearing in the live shows, with contestants not legally classified as employees.

She said she intends to bring a civil case of negligent personal injury to Syco Entertainment, of which Cowell is the director. According to the report, Weissel and her legal team sent a letter of claim to the company.

Weisel will have to convince a judge to waive the statute of limitations for personal injury claims, which is three years.

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The X Factor was produced by Simco, a subsidiary of Syco, and Freemantle TV, which told the Sunday Times they had “robust measures” in place to support contestants, with “no time limit on aftercare once the show has aired”.

The X Factor has made stars of contestants both in the US and the UK, including One Direction, Little Mix, and Camila Cabello. But the show, which ended in the UK in 2018, has come under intense scrutiny over the way its contestants have been treated.

In August, an unnamed source told The Mirror that she and five other former contestants were In the process of approaching a law firm to take legal action against SyCo.

“Your mental health was not in anyone’s interest. We were just pawns in their game. When I entered the show, I was confident, ambitious and charismatic,” the source told the newspaper. “Now I am very distrustful, emotional, nervous and full of anxiety.”

Syco and Freemantle did not immediately respond to requests for comment from Insider.

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