08:52 19 April 2011
Shayne Ward has become the latest X Factor winner to be dropped by the SyCo record label.
The news comes just days after it was announced that Joe McElderry had also been dumped by Cowell.
According to The Sun newspaper, Ward is now the fourth male winner of the ITV1 reality show to be dropped.
A source told the publication:
"Shayne's a nice lad and works hard but people just don't seem to want to buy his music.
"He doesn't fit into the categories of stuff kids buy. He'd be better off in a boyband."
A spokesman for SyCo has reportedly confirmed the news, saying:
"After five very successful years and an international career which saw him sell over 3.2 million records, Shayne's contract has come to an end."
Speculation about the singer's future at the label began in December 2010, when it was claimed that bosses were unhappy with the performance of his latest single and album.
After a three year break, the 25-year-old had returned with his third album, Obsession, and a comeback single, Gotta Be Somebody, which peaked at number 12 in the charts.