David Hasselhoff has opened up about his departure from Britain's Got Talent, admitting that he found it too difficult to "break someone's heart".
The Baywatch actor confirmed that he was axed as a judge after just one series last year, but doubted whether he would return for the 2012 competition if Simon Cowell had offered.
"I don't like to say no, it's hard. I'm not good at being rude," The Mirror quotes him as saying. "I'm not good at being honest when I know it's going to break someone's heart.
"We only signed for a year and when I left [Cowell's] last words were, 'Fantastic, you did a great job'. If I was invited back, and I wasn't, I'm not sure I would have come back."
However, Hasselhoff insisted that he has no hard feelings over his Britain's Got Talent exit.
"I have nothing but respect for Simon and everyone on that show," he said. "They're still my great friends."
The new series of Britain's Got Talent, which features Cowell, Amanda Holden, Alesha Dixon and David Walliams on the panel, will air on ITV1 in the spring.
