Walsh: 'Asperger's singer won't cope'

Louis Walsh has warned that Asperger's sufferer Scott James will be unable to cope with the pressure of The X Factor.

James, 21, recently impressed the show's judges and studio audience at auditions in Manchester and was soon compared to Britain's Got Talent star Susan Boyle.

It is believed that the budding star performed 'You Raise Me Up' for Walsh and his fellow panellists after admitting that he had spent most of his teenage years as a recluse due to his condition.

Asked if someone like James could handle the show's stresses, Walsh told the Radio Times: "I don't think they can, if I'm honest. People don't realise the pressure that these acts are under, especially when they're competing with everybody else backstage.

"It's a very difficult show to do, even as a judge. It's very gruelling, and it's ten weeks of very intense performance. Everything you say and do is being watched. It's like Big Brother meets Jerry Springer."

On whether the singer should have been allowed to enter the contest at all, the Irish judge insisted: "Nobody forces anybody to go to an audition. I think it's a real-life story. Is he under too much pressure? I think it has to be his choice."

It is currently unclear whether James made it past the show's recent boot camp stage. The competition's next round will see the four judges picking the final three contestants for each of their categories at exotic locations around the world.