Simon Cowell admits he didn’t see Susan Boyle’s rampant success on Britain’s Got Talent coming.

“I wouldn’t have sat here five weeks ago and said the person to watch out for is Susan Boyle,” Cowell said in Los Angeles recently will promoting this summer’s American version of the TV show.

“We were all guilty on the panel of judging her before she sang and got it completely and utterly wrong. And you watch it back, and it’s embarrassing.”

But with all the hubbub about Boyle’s recent makeover and her underdog story, Cowell worries people are losing focus on what really matters.

“She has got four weeks to prepare for the biggest night of her life ... she’s got to sing better than she sang before with all that expectation on her,” he said.

“But it could all go horribly wrong now because there’s so many other distractions.”

But is Cowell jealous of the fact that Boyle, who has reportedly never been kissed, has said she’d prefer fellow judge Piers Morgan over him for that first smooch? “Yes, it’s kept me awake at night, that one,” he joked.

Of course, Boyle may already be getting fed up with Cowell’s program. Her brother, Gerard, recently spoke to the Daily Mirror, saying, “When I last spoke to her she sounded exhausted.”

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