Ally Brooke Says Simon Cowell Called Her the 'Glue' of Fifth Harmony: 'It Was Like a Crown That He Was Giving Me'

The former girl band member said that she felt pressure as the oldest member to help guide the group while they were on "The X Factor"

Fifth Harmony alumna Ally Brooke is reflecting on the early days of the girl group’s time together.

During an appearance on Tuesday’s episode of Keke Palmer’s Baby, This Is Keke Palmer podcast, Brooke, 30, revealed that Simon Cowell — one of The X Factor judges who was responsible for the group’s formation — told her she was one of the most important puzzles pieces for the group’s success.

“After we were formed, Simon pulled me to the side and he said, “You are the glue who holds the group together,” she recalled. “I was like, ‘Oh my God, what?’ Like, that was such an amazing thing for him to say and that was such… it was like a crown that he was giving me.”

In response to a question from Palmer, 30, asked how the Syco Records executive knew that she would be the “glue,” Brooke said that Cowell considered both her age and the group’s dynamics.

“I think he just saw that in me, and probably because I was the older one too, he saw me throughout the competition,” she said. “He saw, like, my tenacity and just the way I carried myself and then being the older one. All of that.”

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Fifth Harmony, also consisting of Normani, Dinah Jane, Lauren Jauregui and Camila Cabello, was formed by Cowell, 64, and several other hosts during the X Factor’s 2012 season. According to Brooke, the title that Cowell placed on her caused a little bit of pressure, but singing together as a group made it worth it.

“When we sang together, I just knew something was happening,” she said. “I felt something. It was crazy, it really was. Just to know that you had something in your hands.”

Related: Lauren Jauregui and Dinah Jane Reunite for First Time Since Fifth Harmony's Hiatus — See the Photos!

Elsewhere in the interview, host Palmer asked Brooke about the dynamics that emerged between the girls later in the band’s history, as fans picked favorites and placed their own personas on to each of the members.

“That was really difficult, because, you know, you want to just be yourself and you want to be represented and sometimes that wasn't the case,” Brooke recalled. “I recall our first single — I had one line, literally one line, and I was so… it was like three words or something, and I was so humiliated.”

“People were commenting online that, ‘Oh, Ally wasn't good enough,’ or whatever and that was difficult in the beginning for sure because … you want to be out there and you want to be seen,” she continued. “But eventually that faded and I feel like everyone got their moment to shine.”

Related: Fifth Harmony's Ally Brooke and Dinah Jane Reunite on a Cover of 'Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas': Listen!

Cabello, 27, departed from the group in 2016, and the group disbanded completely two years later. Although rumors have circulated for years that the group might reunite sometime soon, sources recently told Rolling Stone that it was rather unlikely that the whole group would get back together.

Despite this, various members of the girl group have supported each other and even collaborated since the hiatus. Most recently, Brooke and Jane got back together for December cover of “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas” along with a sweet music video.

“I’m beyond thrilled to be back together with my former Fifth Harmony mate Dinah!” Brooke wrote in a statement at the time. “There are no words to explain how it feels to be reunited with our collaboration! We hope to bring lots of happiness to our fans and the world with our reunion!”

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