Cowell, Walsh slam Spears VMA show

X Factor judges Simon Cowell and Louis Walsh have slammed Britney Spears' performance at the MTV Video Music Awards.

Walsh and Cowell agreed that the 'Hit Me Baby One More Time' singer wouldn't have got through to the second round of their TV talent show with the rendition she gave of her new single 'Gimme More' on Sunday night.

Cowell told The Sun: "If I had been looking after Britney I’d have taken one look at her in rehearsals and I wouldn’t have allowed her on stage.

"It would have been worth pulling her off the bill - no matter what the cost - to save any chance she had of resurrecting her career. She wasn’t ready for that show in every possible way."

The American Idol star added: "The song wasn’t right, the image wasn’t right and she just wasn’t rehearsed. If she had turned up and given that performance at the X Factor auditions then I wouldn’t have put her through to the next round.

"The problem she has now is that she could have killed her career. It’s difficult to come back from that performance, for a while at least."

Fellow reality TV star Walsh agreed, commenting: "Britney wouldn’t make it through one audition of X Factor because she can’t sing live."

Spears' comeback show at the awards ceremony has been widely dubbed an embarrassment by critics, while it was reported yesterday that the popstar was seen backstage after the show, crying to herself.