Talent show reject 'too experienced' to win
The Edinburgh-born musician, 37, got the lowest number of viewer votes after his performance of Bruce Springsteen's Born To Run and was automatically eliminated.
Lee said his mentor Louis Walsh's efforts to change his image had "backfired".
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Hide AdAsked why he was ousted, Lee said: "I don't think it was really about my ability as much as really my place in that show. I think my experience and my professionalism.
"The truth of it is I wasn't intimidated by Simon Cowell or by the show. It worked against me in that maybe I was just a bit too polished or a bit too 'I've been there, I've done it', whereas some of the other contestants clearly are a lot more amateur."
He continued: "They're a bit less experienced and I think the public really want to feel invested in building a star.
"For me, I was already quite defined. So I think Louis wanted to switch that and try and change it up for me and I just think it backfired."