Cowell is an idiot. If he'd bothered to read any books on the Beatles, he'd know John and Paul wanted Ringo so badly as a drummer that they stole him from another band. The story is told in detail in several places of how they walked up to Rory Storm's door looking for Ringo with hopes of prying him away from an established group.
We've now posted Cowell's official statement.
Cowell is an idiot. If he'd bothered to read any books on the Beatles, he'd know John and Paul wanted Ringo so badly as a drummer that they stole him from another band. The story is told in detail in several places of how they walked up to Rory Storm's door looking for Ringo with hopes of prying him away from an established group.