Dermot O’Leary has hit out at the press for continually printing stories about the death of Michael Jackson. The X Factor host thinks that media should spare a thought for the singers children before reporting on every angle of his demise.

O’Leary met Jackson at London’s O2 arena in March this year,when he announced his upcoming ‘This Is It’ residency.

O’Leary told RTÉ Guide: “I felt so sorry for his family and especially his kids. It’s the whole macabre carousel we are looking at every day in the media and you’re thinking: ‘Come on, he’s got kids – leave it alone now’.”

He added: “You know when I think of it, I hugged and introduced James Brown about a month before he died, so maybe it’s me, don’t come anywhere near me – I’m the new swine flu!”