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Simon Cowell branded 'irresponsible' for school remarks

Simon Cowell has been branded as "irresponsible and stupid" by the Education Secretary for suggesting the secret to success is to be "useless at school and then get lucky".

Speaking to US radio station z100, Cowell said: "I didn't work hard when I was at school. I left at 16 and I didn't have any qualifications.

Simon Cowell said the secret to success was 'to be useless at school and then get lucky'. Credit: PA Wire

"I was useless. The secret is to be useless at school and then get lucky."

The remarks were strongly condemned by Education Secretary Michael Gove who accused the music mogul - who is worth more than £200 million - of undermining teacher's efforts in the classroom.

Michael Gove has lashed out at Simon Cowell over his comments on education. Credit: PA Wire

"This is an irresponsible and stupid thing to say.The truth is that only a tiny fraction of people get lucky. For everybody else, it’s all about hard work and that starts with hard work at school," he said during an interview with MailOnline.

"Celebrities like Mr Cowell should encourage education, not rubbish it."