He's not too fond of people a lot of the time, but anyone who has watched Simon Cowell over the years knows that he's a big animal fan.

So, many X Factor viewers were shocked to see a preview clip for next week's shows which showed contestants in the boys category were seen swimming with dolphins while filming the Judges' Houses show. The brief footage led to outrage from viewers and the creation of an online petition, which reached nearly 8,000 signatures.

Donna Iliffe-Pollard, who set up the petition, said she was worried that the scenes would "glorify captive dolphins".

Simon agreed.

Taking to Twitter, the judge said he had no idea that the footage had been filmed initially, and added that it would be pulled from this weekend's broadcast.

Reading your tweets. I had no idea Xtra Factor producers filmed with dolphins. This will NOT be showed on Saturday.

— Simon Cowell (@SimonCowell) September 30, 2014

 

I think you all know my view on cruelty to animals so thank you all for your concern.

— Simon Cowell (@SimonCowell) September 30, 2014

Representatives for PETA welcomed his comments, saying: "Simon has always been a good friend to animals, so it's no surprise to PETA that he has intervened to prevent The X Factor from glamorising swimming with dolphins."

"Many of the highly intelligent and social animals incarcerated in these sad displays have endured the trauma of being caught and torn away from their families before they are sold into a life of captivity.

"In the wild, dolphins swim together in family pods for their entire lives."