As the nation gets ready for the X Factor live finals, rumours are flying around that there may be some shocking changes to the judging panel with Cheryl Cole reportedly set to make a comeback to the show.
Having been booted off the US X Factor, there were a lot of rumours about the plans for the UK X Factor, and whether Cheryl would be a part of the judging line-up. At the time Cheryl was reported to have been offered a lot of money to return, but turned it down. Instead, Louis Walsh, Gary Barlow, Kelly Rowland and Gary Barlow took their seats on the panel.
A source told Heat magazine about the plans, “There have been several conference calls and ideas have been discussed. Both Simon and Cheryl are aware that such a return would be huge for the ratings. It would be a massive story. Simon isn't afraid of making headline-grabbing changes to the show.
Although Cheryl’s return to the show would generate an incredible amount of media and audience hype, we can’t help feeling a bit mixed about this news. The current judges have settled into their roles really well and have had a very positive reception from viewers, and the show’s ratings have been boosted.
Kelly and Tulisa have been doing a great job of filling the places left by Cheryl and Dannii Minogue from the last series. We like Kelly and Tulisa’s onscreen interaction: they are professional and friendly, and refreshingly do not seem to have any of the suspected rivalry, which caused tension between Cheryl and Dannii last time round.
Simon Cowell has never been one to tip toe around - if anything he thrives on headline-grabbing controversies. The source says that he is determined to make the show work with Cheryl on board again. “The panel have been finding their feet slowly. But it's no secret that Cheryl was Simon's golden girl. If she came back, it would be with a huge fanfare.”'Of course, if they announced that Cheryl was coming back, there would be immediate worries that she would be replacing someone.'
Tulisa seems like the most obvious person to be booted off to make room for Cheryl, as their roles would be too similar for them both to remain on the panel together and the N Dubz singer has publically acknowledged that the X Factor throne will always be Cheryl’s, recently saying, “It's her role, it was hers for years and she should come first when it comes to that role.”Louis Walsh has also publically declared his allegiance to Cheryl, saying that he would be “100% behind” her if she returned to the X factor.
But, perhaps Louis wouldn’t be quite so enthusiastic if he had heard the rest of what Tulisa had to say: 'You don't know who could be going either, it could be any of us if she was to come back.'
So, if Simon and Cheryl are back together as the UK’s TV dream team, it seems that no X Factor judge’s seat is safe. Watch this space.