Dannii Minogue feels "incredibly raw" following Simon Cowell's revelation of his attraction to her.

Simon has reportedly spoken out about his feelings for the Australian singer during her time working with him as a judge on the UK version of The X Factor.

The disclosure of his "crush" was made in The Intimate Life of Simon Cowell, a book written by BBC journalist Tom Bower.

Dannii, who has recently split from her beau of four years Kris Smith, the father of her 21-month-old son Ethan, is thought to be enraged by Simon's commentary.

"She's understandably distraught by all of this coming out just as she's struggling to cope with the breakdown of her relationship with Kris," a source told British newspaper the Mirror.

"It was all such a long time ago and to have to deal with it now in the wake of the last few weeks is just too much. She is incredibly raw and this is the last thing she wants to endure."

Dannii and her associates feel that Simon's remarks were tactless.

"Dannii was very much collateral damage in all of this. It's betrayal, pure and simple," the insider continued. "And it looks very much now like Simon simply hired Dannii, used her, then spat her out afterwards. If Simon revealed the intimate nature of their affair to anyone, it is ungentlemanly and a betrayal."

The pair fueled rumours of an affair after they were pictured seemingly holding hands in the back of a car in 2008.

Dannii appeared on the X Factor from 2007 to 2010. Simon left in 2011 to launch the talent show in the US.