Nicole Scherzinger was close to Sharon Osbourne before her 'X Factor' return.
The former Pussycat Doll was her "guest mentor" five years ago during her fellow judge's first run on the TV talent show, and the pair have been close ever since.
She told the Daily Express newspaper's Saturday magazine: "I already had a relationship with Sharon before she returned to the show.
"It started in 2007 when she asked me to be her guest mentor at the judges' houses. Now we've come full circle.
"Last year, when they asked me who I wanted the next judge to be, I said Mrs O. For me, she's the queen, the one who started the show. It's been an honour, a blessing and a blast to work alongside her, and the other judges as well."
She noted the panel - completed by Take That star Gary Barlow and manager Louis Walsh - has an interesting dynamic due to the judges' different backgrounds in the music industry.
She explained: "It's great because Gary and I are very empathetic to the artists, being artists ourselves.
"It's good to have the juxtaposition and the conflict with the two managers because they see things differently. They speak differently.
"Louis will say, 'You're not a star. You're not going anywhere'. I look at myself as an artist ambassador and I'm thinking, 'Don't ever tell someone that, don't kill their dreams.' "
Tagged in Gary Barlow Sharon Osbourne Nicole Scherzinger