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By Liz Thomas
Not amused: Simon Cowell was woken by drunken X Factor contestants who ruined his rented villa in Marbella, SpainRowdy X Factor contestants have ruined Simon Cowell's rented luxury villa in Spain.
He was left furious after they caused thousands of pounds worth of damage and drank his vintage champagne and imported beer.
The 50-year-old is staying in a 20-bedroom villa in Marbella, where he is 'mentoring' this year's X Factor hopefuls.
The property - which also boasts three pools, a cinema and a gym - costs Cowell £15,000 a day.
But problems started on Sunday night when contestants raided his drinks bar and finished his champagne and Sapporo beer that he had flown in from Japan.
Afterwards they swam in the sea and then stumbled back to their rooms, trampling over furniture and wrecking a £5,000 Persian rug. Antique and designer furniture was covered in sand and stained by sea water.
A show source said: 'It was chaos. It is thousands of pounds of damage. They were just very excited and things got out of hand.'
Cowell was woken up by the partying into the early hours. He said yesterday: 'Yes they did wake me up.
'Any damage will have to be paid out of their first royalty cheque if they make it - to teach them a lesson.'
Cowell also spoke about controversies hitting the show including his decision to ban auto tune and the expulsion of Shirlena Johnson.
The first episode of the new series featured a number of auditions where singers voices were adjusted to sound better than they actually were.
Possible reprieve: X Factor bosses are considering allowing Shirlena Johnson, pictured with her daughter, back on the show after she was dropped when fears arose about her healthProducers were accused of regularly using the technology but Cowell insisted it was only used in the 'extreme conditions' of the auditions where contestants brought poor quality backing tracks and the crowd noise could drown them out.
He confirmed the technology would not be used again, adding: 'And to say we were using it to cheat is nonsense.'
Cowell also said that axed contestant Shirlena Johnson may get a reprieve and a chance to come back on the show.
She was dropped from the series after a medical report and the show doctor said she may not be able to able to cope with the stress of the contest.
Trashed: Cowell's 20-bedroom villa in Marbella, which X Factor hopefuls who were staying there have ruinedsource: dailymail
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