Cheryl Cole & Simon Cowell
Simon Cowell "begged" Cheryl Cole to come back as a judge on the new series of The X Factor.
The returning judge has claimed that show boss Simon cried and pleaded with her to rejoin him on the panel of the ITV singing competition this year.
Cheryl quipped: "There's only so much begging one can take. It's not nice to see a grown man cry. It went on for a few years. It was uncomfortable."
The 30-year-old singer, who was famously axed from the US version of 'The X Factor' in 2011 after just one episode, has put the past behind her and claims it's the right time for her to make her sensational TV comeback.
She explained: "If you'd asked me the previous two years, I'd have said, 'Absolutely not!' This year it just feels right. We had a hit show last time I was on it, so I'm really excited to be on it again."
And Cheryl has also drawn a line under her bad blood with new dad Simon, 54, following her humiliating axe from 'The X Factor' USA.
She added: "Once I had said my piece to Simon - which I put in my autobiography - I don't hold grudges, I just remember facts.
"The facts I remember are that I won my first two 'X Factor' series and I had two in the final of my last year. The rest is irrelevant to me. I see this is as a step forward. We obviously have a great friendship. We banter off each other and bring the best out of each other when we make decisions."
Meanwhile, Simon has admitted it was a mistake to fire Cheryl from the US version of 'The X Factor'.
In a joint press conference with Cheryl yesterday (11.03.13), he said: "It was a silly decision. Of course I was wrong and I don't mind admitting when I am wrong. If I could turn the clock back, I would do it differently, if I am honest. But I can't.
"I realised I wanted to make the show close to where we left it. It was a fantastic year. And I had to get Cheryl back."
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