X Factor judging panel may not change after all according to Simon Cowell's confident Sinitta
Simon Cowell, Cheryl Fernandez-Versini, Louis Walsh and Mel B could be the ‘new’ line-up we’ve been waiting to hear about
We know that Simon Cowell has been considering his options when it comes to this year’s X Factor judging panel, with the line-up, as ever, rumoured for an overhaul.
There’s a long list of potential new faces – Rita Ora was among them – and Louis Walsh has once again suggested he’s done with all things ‘X’. But Sinitta, goddess of leaf bikinis and long-standing guest judge of the big boss, doesn’t think there’s much change on the way after all.
Like most fans of the show, Sinitta’s calling Walsh’s bluff.
“Despite what he’s said, I think Louis Walsh will come back,” said the So Macho singer.
“Simon would find it too weird without him," she told Reveal magazine. "When they got rid of him in 2007, Simon only lasted about a week before he had to bring him back.”
Judging by recent reports, Cheryl seems unlikely to miss the next series after returning last year. And while Sinitta acknowledges it’s a “full on job” for the pop star, she adds: “the show is great for her career.”
Of all of last year’s judges, Mel B’s seat seems the most uncertain. There’s been no official word from either camp, but Sinitta is keen to see the former Spice Girl return. “Even though sometimes it could get a bit uncomfortable because Mel could be so feisty and came across as fake with some things, I was totally on board with a lot of what she said,” Sinitta explained. “She would tell it how it is, and that was what the show needed.”
An experienced panel may be the way to go in a year that will see disruption due to ITV’s coverage of the Rugby World Cup and the arrival of a new presenting duo: Olly Murs and Caroline Flack. And I bargain Sinitta, a close friend of the music mogul, knows a thing or two about Mr Cowell’s thought process. But in a year the show seems determined to make notable changes, the judging panel is an obvious place to shake things up. Either way, as preliminary auditions rumble on, time’s ticking on a decision.
The X Factor returns to ITV later this year
