Simon Cowell says The X Factor turned into Frankenstein's monster and admits he 'maybe' should have pulled the plug sooner.
The media mogul, 63, said he tried desperately to shake-up the format to keep it fresh and new as the show competed with Strictly Come Dancing in the ratings war.
By the end of its 14-year stint, Simon says the numerous changes left the hit competition a warped version of the original show the public knew and loved.
But the businessman hasn't ruled a return as eager fans ask him constantly as to when the show could make a come back.
But although the ITV show launched some big names including One Direction, Leona Lewis and Little Mix, Cowell isn't convinced the format would work if resurrected.
The star shared how the the stress of the show left him at times 'pulling his hair out' until 4am as he agonised over altering the format like the 'six chair challenge'.
He added: "You add new elements, then change something else, then something else, then the next thing you know, you’ve got this Frankenstein’s monster."
“Should we have ended the show sooner? Maybe. We could have done, yeah," he told The Sun.
He admits the pressure of producing the Saturday night prime time show became an 'ego drive' as he wanted to make it 'better than everything else' which took his enjoyment out of it - with bosses spending crazy amounts on securing big stars to perform.
And even after the show ends, he says having to work with the winner to try to secure the Christmas number one is just too much pressure.
Despite the interest in reviving the talent show Cowell is can't see the show coming back although still believes there's a place for an 'extra platform' for those with genuine talent.
He said: “Am I tempted to focus on StemDrop and not bring back X Factor? Personally, yes. The temptation would be to do something new, but the funny thing is that when young people approach me on the street, all they want to know is when X Factor is coming back."
He admits the pressure of producing the Saturday night prime time show became an 'ego drive' as he wanted to make it 'better than everything else' which took his enjoyment out of it.
He also said he'd need music managers as judges — taking the show back to its roots before big name artists started appearing on the panel.
But for now at least, Cowell appears content with America's Got Talent on both sides of the Atlantic.
The record executive as reportedly secured the future of the hugely successful Got Talent series, which airs in 69 countries.
The deal has seen him rake in a cool £90m after he previously let go of almost all of his Syco staff earlier this year in a bid to focus on his family.
His busy work schedule comes after finally marrying fiancee Lauren Silverman in a glitzy ceremony in May this year. The pair, who share son Eric, 8, announced their engagement in January having been together since 2013.
