X Factor judge Simon Cowell showed off his softer side when he became patron of charity Children’s Hospices UK.

At a visit to CHASE hospice care based in Surrey to announce his patronage, the talent show judge was a surprise guest for the families and children who used the centre.

Speaking to Sky News, Cowell, who recently celebrated his 50th birthday with an A-list bash, said: “I came into the room – there were probably about 80 families there, and they gave me a real grilling.

“The kids were asking who I liked and who I didn’t; even if I was a boxer or y-front man. I offered three of them jobs on the show to replace me.”

Cowell – who has visited the hospice before – spoke of a friendship he had struck up with a teenager Sian Tolfree and said visiting the hospice had given him more perspective.

Cowell said of Sian: “It was something that developed, more as a friendship than anything else.

“We became buddies.

“You get to know her family. She’s a regular at the show now – she’s the best critic. I’m always getting text messages from her.”

Sian, of Leatherhead, Surrey, said: “He’s like an uncle. He’s got a heart of gold really.

“He loves animals, children and chocolate. He’s a bit of a softie. He’s not a hard man at heart.”

Cowell has supported CHASE – the hospice he visited – for four years, but now joins Xtra Factor presenter Holly Willoughby and PR guru Max Clifford as a patron for Children’s Hospices UK.

He said: “The irony is when you come down to a place like this, what should be an incredibly sad place is a very happy place.

“That’s the weird thing. That’s why they do such a special job here. They make this an incredibly happy environment for the kids and it’s helpful for the families.

“You come away from a place like this thinking whatever troubles you have in the world are nothing. We get involved in silly ratings wars and battles and things that don’t matter, genuinely.”

And, Cowell said, the children he met all said they were not fans of fellow X Factor judge Louis Walsh.

He said: “They can’t stand Louis and they like me. So we’re absolutely on the same side.

“But they would probably say the opposite if Louis came down here!”

Talking of X Factor, Cowell reiterated his dislike for controversial Irish twins John and Edward – Jedward to their fans.

He said: “When you do a show like this and allow the public to vote you have to live with vote but it’s not going quite according to plan at the moment.

“I genuinely thought they would last a week or two weeks at the most.

“But they seem to be building up popularity which I have to confess is terrifying.

The idea, at the end, where they say the winner is Jedward – like I said before, and I mean it – I would be on the fastest plane out of the country that night.”

But the twins were not the only ones to get criticism.

Cowell likened Essex-girl Stacey Solomon to a singing candle.

He said: “She hasn’t moved in three weeks. I’d rather see Danyl than that any day.”

And Cowell also dismissed reports of warring judges – saying the competitive rivalry stretched only as far as the live shows.

He said: “In truth, deep down we all really like each other. But there is something about that show when you hit the live shows, everybody gets seriously competitive.”

He also revealed a meeting was called last Sunday night after the second live show of the weekend, but denied it was a “crisis meeting”.

He said: “It was simply to say I thought that Saturday’s show song choices and performances weren’t as good as I would have expected and that we have got to dig a bit deeper.

“We’ve got a responsibility while they’re in the show to make them as good as possible.”

One young fan happy to see Cowell was nine-year-old Grace Cann, who has had leukaemia twice.

She said: “I was really excited to meet him because I watch X Factor. My favourites are Ollie and Lucie.

“I asked him if he would have picked John and Edward and he said no.”

Cowell added he would not rule out lobbying the Government to change the way hospices were funded by “doing a Jamie Oliver” style campaign and approaching Downing Street.

He said: “100%. If you don’t ask you don’t get.”