Reality TV show host Simon Cowell said in an article in the Daily Mail that 'there is no easy way of achieving fame, and no guaranteed or trusted way of dealing with it.' (Dan Steinberg/Associated Press)

Simon Cowell, host of Britain's Got Talent, admitted in an article that appeared in the London Daily Mail on Saturday that he didn't handle Susan Boyle as well as he could have.

Boyle, the unknown Scottish singer who captured the world's attention this spring on the reality TV show, was treated for exhaustion in a London clinic after the show's finale, and has missed a number of performances on the Britain's Got More Talent live tour that ends in Bournemouth on July 5.

Cowell, 49, wrote the article in order to set the record straight. He said the reality television show has been accused of being a cruel circus that sets out to exploit the vulnerable in a cynical bid to boost ratings. "And I, of course, am inevitably portrayed as the evil ringmaster," he added.

In the case of Boyle, Cowell said, "It has become clear to me that we didn't handle the situation with Susan as well as we could have."

But, despite his mistakes, he said does not know how he could have handled the situation differently.

He said that after her first audition on the show, he thought Boyle had come over well, although not sensationally. "I certainly didn't think, 'Here comes a phenomenon who is going to become the most famous woman in the world. I wonder if she can mentally cope with it?'" he wrote.

But over the next few weeks when Boyle had become a global sensation, she told him she was having the time of her life. "I thought, whatever happens, we have changed this lady's life."

Cowell wrote that in the run-up to the semi-final and in the final, he'd received calls from the production team. It had become clear that Boyle was finding it difficult coping with the experience. But she assured him she was happy to continue.

He said he only fully realized how distressed she'd become right after the dance group Diversity won the live finale. "I looked over at her face and thought, 'Christ, she doesn't know how to deal with not winning.'"

Cowell said he spoke to Boyle's family last week and asked them whether she should have been allowed to carry on with the show when it became clear she was finding it stressful.

"And they said, unanimously, that we did the right thing. They said that Susan has always wanted to sing and had sat at home for years wishing that she had a chance."

Cowell posed the question of whether psychological screening should be introduced for applicants to the show, but said he wasn't sure that would work.

"There is no easy way of achieving fame, and no guaranteed or trusted way of dealing with it," he said.