LEGENDARY interviewer Martin Bashir has revealed that performing on The X Factor: Celebrity is more nerve-racking than interviewing Princess Diana.
Martin famously sat down with the late Royal for her infamous Panorama interview in November 1995 – but he thinks singing for Simon Cowell is scarier.
The broadcaster, who will appear in Saturday’s first live show, made the admission during an interview with Eamonn Holmes and Ruth Langsford on today’s This Morning.
Eamonn talked about how Martin must have felt the pressure to get his interview with the Princess of Wales “right” because it was “the biggest story in the world.”
And the Irish presenter then asked Martin: “Do you ever say to yourself, ‘Well, what I am about to do on Saturday night couldn’t be worse than that!’”
Martin replied: “I don’t because it is going to be worse than that because I didn’t conduct that interview in front of anyone apart from a cameraman, a sound recordist and a producer.
“There are going to be over 400 people in the studio, I have to remember lighting cues, cam movements, I have to make certain moves.”
Martin then went on to make fun of his dance abilities.
He said: “I don’t know about you Eamonn, but I can do the bottom half or I can do the top half but doing both is a problem.”
He added: “Ask my wife, she is always complaining about that.”
Martin’s interview with Princess Diana was watched by 22.8 million people, making it the most-watched factual programme in the last eight decades.
He also famously interview Michael Jackson over eight months for the 2003 special, Living with Michael Jackson.
He surprised many people by signing up for The X Factor: Celebrity but proved a force to be reckoned with in his audition.
Martin had viewers in tears as he revealed his late brother is the reason he joined the show.
His “precious brother” Tommy was born with muscular dystrophy.
Martin told the judges in the show’s opening episode: “Tommy died in 1991 and every time I’ve faced a challenge, I’ve heard him whispering, ‘What excuse do you have? You don’t have an excuse. You’ve never sung but someone’s come to you and said give it a shot.’
“And that’s my motivation.”
He then performed an amazing rendition of Nat King Cole’s
L-O-V-E and scored a place in the live shows.
