American Idol judge Simon Cowell is convinced Britney Spears is in awe of him - because she appeared to be starstruck when they met.

The music mogul was delighted that the pop superstar agreed to appear on his British TV talent show X Factor on Saturday night, and the pair first came face-to-face at the London studio.

And Cowell is adamant that Spears was overwhelmed by the meeting.

He says, "This may be a bit egotistical. I think she was in awe of me. She was just staring at me. I said, 'Touch me, I'm human,' and I think I broke the ice."

Cowell has also defended Spears' decision to lip-sync her performance on the show, insisting she still put on a fantastic show.

He adds, "There was more buzz, more excitement for this girl, than anyone else. It was as if the president was on the show. She was terrific. Very professional. This girl's got huge star quality. You've got to hand it to her, she's a great performer."