Cheryl Cole ‘invited to rejoin X Factor USA’

By Emily Sheridan

Last updated at 12:33 AM on 5th June 2011

Over a week after she was apparently fired as a judge from X Factor USA, Cheryl Cole has been asked to return.

Reports today claim Simon Cowell managed to persuade executives at American network Fox to give the Geordie singer a second chance.

Currently in London after a week on Britain’s Got Talent, Cowell is apparently hashing a deal for the 27-year-old to return.

Friends again? Simon Cowell has managed to convince Fox executives Cheryl Cole is right for X Factor USA

Mrs Cole is expected to jet back to the U.S. this week ahead of the next round of auditions in New Jersey on Wednesday.

Her return will be a blow for pop star Nicole Scherzinger, who was due to replace Cole, who will revert back to her previous role of co-presenter alongside Steve Jones.

An insider told the News Of The World: ‘This is the biggest surprise of the lot – Cheryl is back. Who could possibly have predicted this – it appeared that Simon had dumped Cheryl for good?

‘But behind the scenes Simon has been wooing Cheryl.

‘And key executives at Fox all realised they had made a big mistake. They have been watching the tapes of her at the American auditions and realising that she could be a huge star over there.’

Back in the line-up? Cole with X Factor USA judges Antonio ‘L.A.’ Reid, Paula Abdul and Cowell and co-hosts Steve Jones and Nicole Scherzinger

But a source from Cowell’s camp told the Sunday Mirror it was not quite a done deal: ‘We have offered Cheryl a second chance and she might still come back to US X Factor. Fox have been re-examining the situation and have had a change of heart.

‘After the debacle with the UK judging panel we have started negotiating with Cheryl’s camp and the ball is now in her court.’

Cole was humiliated when she was dumped from the X Factor USA judging line up a week and a half ago after executive watched tapes of her at four auditions in Los Angeles and Chicago.

Fox executives were said to be concerned about her Geordie accent and her lack of chemistry with fellow female judge Paula Abdul.

Since the news broke, Cole has gone into hiding and neither Fox, Cowell or the singer have released a statement to confirm or deny exactly what has happened.

A judge or co-host? Cheryl’s return will mean Scherzinger – who performed on Britain’s Got Talent last night – will revert to presenting

Her U.S. manager, Black Eyed Peas rapper Will.i.am said: ‘Cheryl always comes back stronger, and she always comes back bigger. Cheryl has been through rougher things than this, so this is going to be no problem for her.

‘It’s easy to imagine Simon as this one-man empire, but that’s not the case.

‘He has people he needs to answer to and sometimes his hands are tied. I can only tell you what I’ve seen first-hand, that’s a guy who deeply cares for her.’

The latest development comes just a few days after it was confirmed Mrs Cole would not be returning to the original UK X Factor.

New panel: Louis Walsh is joined by Kelly Rowland, Tulisa Contostavlos and Gary Barlow at the Birmingham auditions of X Factor last week

Instead Gary Barlow, Tulisa Contostavlos and Kelly Rowland joined the only remaining judge Louis Walsh on the panel at the Birmingham auditions last week.

Walsh said he had spoken to Cole and she was doing ‘fine’.

He said: ‘I talked to Cheryl today – we’ve been texting all day and we’re having fun. I think she’s going to be fine.

‘Listen, from her texts today she’s absolutely fine.’