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X FACTOR winner Steve Brookstein is no longer a favourite of Simon Cowell - and after lambasting the show and his former mentor, that's unlikely to change.

Brookstein warned the contestants taking part in the new series, which starts on ITV1 on Saturday night, to think twice.

He told the Daily Mail: "The show gives you a platform but then pulls the rug from under your feet by making you sign to a certain record label and having no say in what happens next.

"It should be about music and talent but it's not. X Factor damages your credibility."

Steve's comments come hot on the heels of the news that Sony BMG have dropped him, and Simon Cowell has lost interest in him.

Steve is convinced he knows why. "In the same period last year, prior to The X Factor, I had performed over 200 hours of singing," he said. "This year, thanks to Simon Cowell, I've sung for a total of just 35 minutes.

"It's a joke. I keep asking myself what more I could have done and where I went wrong. I did everything that was asked of me - all the breakfast time TV appearances, radio tours and promotional stuff.

"I did my vocals for the album in two weeks. But it did not come out for six months and I suspect that was because, after the show finished, Simon spent a month on holiday in Barbados.

"Then he went to America and did Pop Idol. I was never was one of Simon's priorities. Simon Cowell is Simon's priority. All the show has done is restrict my trade - but c'est la vie."

And Steve had this message for wannabe singers thinking of auditioning for the show: "I would not advise anyone young and with talent to go on The X Factor. If you're young and any good, then you've a chance of making it on your own terms.

"The show is suited to older people - to those who have run out of opportunities and are at a dead-end in their careers, like I was."