Rita Ora

Rita Ora

A £1 million contract was offered to Rita Ora to become a judge on The X Factor, which she turned down.

The 23-year-old singer was said to be "flattered" by TV boss Simon Cowell after he asked her to join the show's line-up for this year but reportedly refused.

A friend told the Daily Mirror newspaper: "Rita was formally offered the 'X Factor' job and was very flattered, but turned it down.

"She is out in LA at the moment, having meetings, making contacts and working hard in the studio."

The 'R.I.P' hitmaker is set to release her new album this summer and her friend claims she has made it her main priority as she also juggles an acting career, after landing a role in 'Fifty Shades of Grey', the movie based on the erotic novel E.L James.

The friend continued: "She wants to focus purely on her music and not get distracted by other things. She also saw how Jessie J's album struggled after she appeared as a coach on 'The Voice', and thinks the two could be connected.

"Rita thinks Jessie might have come across badly on TV. For now, Rita is staying away from reality TV and is concentrating on the day job."

Simon, 54, is shaking up the show this year and returning as a judge with the hope of mimicking the success of the series in 2010, which saw the birth of One Direction.

Cheryl Cole is rumoured to be returning to the panel, while Gary Barlow, Nicole Scherzinger and Sharon Osbourne have quit, and Rita has spoken about the opportunity of becoming a judge.

She said: "There were talks. But if I were to take on that role, it would have to be at a point when I could give it my full attention.

"I have so much to accomplish first and it's kind of a full-time job being on X Factor. It's not like a nine to five. It's constant, for months."


by for www.femalefirst.co.uk
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