The Voice coach Will.i.am has described his friend Cheryl Cole's time as a judge on The X Factor as a "waste of talent".
The Press Association reports that Will.i.am said: "Cheryl is a great artist and a great performer and I think the world needs that. And to see that go away for TV only - it's a waste of talent.
"Music is what got us here. If you're not singing any more or writing songs then you've abandoned your base. Cheryl Cole to me is not Kim Kardashian and Paris Hilton.
"They're great people, and tabloids and television - they're cool to a point. But she has a different talent so she can't just be some TV tabloid star."
The Black Eyed Peas mainman and producer said that he initially found it hard to deal with media speculation about his friendship with Cole.
"I learned a lot," he said. "I learned a lot about myself. I'm glad I went through that, I'm glad she went through that, but it was hard. Just going through all that shenanigans.
"At first it would bring my emotions down, but now it's got to a point where we giggle and laugh about them [rumours].
"It's just something you learn together.
"I appreciate our friendship and I think it's strong to the point where when things come up we giggle and laugh about them."
