Music mogul Simon Cowell has refused to kick an escort off his hit British talent show The X Factor, insisting, "We haven't banned prostitutes."

Chloe Mafia, 20, has made it past the first stage of the competition, despite tabloid reports suggesting the wannabe pop star had been working as a $240 -an-hour prostitute.

And Cowell is adamant the single mum will not be axed because of her vice activities.

He tells The Sun newspaper, "We can't just take people off the show because they might do something that upsets some people. If a person applies to be on The X Factor it's obvious to me that they want to do something better with their life."

Cowell, who quit as a judge on U.S. show American Idol in May, is currently in talks to bring his X Factor show to the U.S.