Cowell and Walsh trade barbs at awards ceremony

Louis Walsh clashed with fellow X Factor judge Simon Cowell and conceded defeat in the hit show at a star-studded awards ceremony.

Walsh, who has been chosen to mentor the groups again this year, moaned that his contestants were inexperienced and wrote off their chances of success.

"I'll get into the final, but I won't win," he said.

Speaking at the Daily Mirror Pride of Britain awards at Grosvenor House in central London, Walsh said rival judge Cowell was spoiled for choice as mentor of the over-25s.

"He always gets the best ones," he said.

"They've all been round the block a fair bit. They've all got more experience than mine."

Cowell said: "Oh that's positive, thanks for taking part."

He criticised Walsh's attitude and accused him of not doing his job properly.

"They're not exactly going to have bags of confidence after this, are they?" he said.

Cowell went on: "It's not a question of being spoiled for choice, it's how you prepare your contestants on the day. And I prepare my contestants better than the others."

But both judges agreed that the contestants mentored by fellow judges Cheryl Cole and Dannii Minogue - the male and female solo artists - were the "dark horses" in the competition and "the ones to watch".

Earlier, Cowell joked that his rival judges' contestants were "really strong" and that John and Edward Grimes, Irish twins backed by Walsh, had been "misunderstood" with Walsh "seeing something that the entire country's missed".

A total of 12 acts are in the live finals of the talent show.

Walsh's groups - Miss Frank, Kandy Rain and John and Edward - will take on Cowell's all-male over-25s - Jamie Archer, Danyl Johnson and Olly Murs.

They will also be up against Cole's boys - Lloyd Daniels, Rikki Loney and Joe McElderry - and Minogue's girls - Rachel Adedeji, Stacey Soloman and Lucie Jones.

Cowell, who turned 50 at the weekend, also revealed that his high-profile birthday party was "excessive, over-the-top - everything I wanted".

"I thoroughly enjoyed it," he said.