X Factor Fix: was Cheryl’s ‘no-vote’ just a plot to save Katie from deadlock?

By Rebecca Liu

10th November 2010 | 0 comments | 0 votes yet, click here to agree or disagree

X Factor presenter, Dermot O’Leary, allegedly revealed last night that the controversial ‘no-vote’ from Cheryl Cole was in fact rehearsed. Reports that producers plotted Cheryl’s refusal to vote during the commercial break have surfaced amidst a huge wave of complaints from fans (over 1000 to ITV, and 2000 to TV company, Ofcom), with TV sources confirming that Treyc Cohen had in fact recieved three times as many votes as Katie Waissel and that the dramatic argument between O’Leary and Cole, which resulted in the decision to go to majority vote, was planned from the beginning. Since Sunday, fans have been calling for Cole to be sacked from her £1.7m job, arguing that she’s unfit for the role, with some even calling for a ‘public voting ban’.

But is it all really true? O’Leary hit his Twitter this morning to ‘clear things up’, stating that publications had got the ‘wrong end of the stick’, and that the producers ‘never know which way the judges are going to vote’.
Dermot wrote: “the only thing I know is who’s in the bottom 2 when I’m given the card. I don’t know which judge to go to until I’m called, and the judges, including Simon, dont know the vote or who we’re coming to next. Its that simple.”

So are the reports false, or was Treyc booted out of the competition unfairly? Katie’s recently spoken out, saying, “I am in total shock about it. When I said “sod it” that wasn’t me giving up. That was me just trying so hard to get across the meaning of the lyrics as they meant so much to me. It was more frustration,” while further rumours about disputes in the X Factor house with fellow contestant, Cher Lloyd, are beginning to circulate. It’s already been said that Katie makes for ‘interesting television’, with Simon stating “she knows what she’s doing.” Could ITV be facing another voting scandal, or is this all merely bitter, false rumours?

Image courtesy of ITV.

Glamour at the Pride of Britain Awards

By Rebecca Liu

10th November 2010 | 0 comments | 0 votes yet, click here to agree or disagree

Britain’s best-loved celebrites got glamourous at the Daily Mirror’s Pride of Britain Awards, last night. The annual event, held at London’s Grosvenor House Hotel, saw appearances from a whole host of celebs, who showed their support for Britain’s unsung heroes. Cheryl Cole put on a brave face and wore a stunning black Helmut Lang maxi dress, while three of her Girls Aloud bandmates showed their support following the on-going X Factor backlash, with fashionista, Nicola Roberts in William Tempest, Sarah Harding in a beige assymetrical dress and Kimberly Walsh in a gorgeous red Issa gown. The X Factor contestants didn’t disappoint either; Cher stayed on trend in a black layered lace dress, Rebecca Ferguson looked flawless as usual in a rose floor length gown, and Katie and Treyc appeared to put aside their differences, both getting dressed up in gold. Other stars who stole the show on the red carpet include Pixie Lott, Dannii Minogue, Kelly Brook, The Saturdays, and Coleen Rooney, who represented her advertising campaign in a Littlewoods dress.

Who were your favourites of the night?

Image courtesy of Daily Mail.

Katie Waissel – Drama Queen Extraordinaire

By Rebecca Liu

8th November 2010 | 1 comments | 0 votes yet, click here to agree or disagree

X Factor reached a new level of ridiculousness last night – Katie Waissel yelling “sod it” before collapsing to the floor, Cheryl Cole metaphorically shooting herself in the foot, and the prospect of having to endure Wagner for yet another week!

Both adored and hated for her drama-queen tendencies, Katie Waissel found herself surviving her third sing-off, despite barely being able to make it through the song. While Treyc gave a powerful performance of ‘Unbreak My Heart’, Katie stumbled through the ironically titled ‘Please Don’t Give Up On Me’,  forgetting her words (again) half way through before falling to the ground with a, “you know what, sod it!” Cheryl’s point-blank refusal to vote: “I am refusing to send anyone home”, and Dermot insisting she couldn’t go to public vote, has driven fans to accuse the show of being fixed, with one fan on Twitter, @EllisOfficial, going as far as to say “The whole series has been constructed to launch Katie Waissel. FACT.” However, Simon has backed his decision to save Katie, stating that she may be a drama queen, but amongst all the bad behaviour and dramatic performances, she “knows what she’s doing”.

While Treyc has now been ‘sent packing’, this week’s mixed performances leaves Wagner continuing to evade the weekly sing-off (essentially becoming this year’s ‘Jedward’ act), Simon’s teeny-bopper, boy-band, ‘One Direction’, dazzling teenage girls across the country, and Rebecca and Matt remaining among the favourites to win the show.

Cheryl Weeps As She Talks About Ashley and Malaria

By rjball

15th October 2010 | 0 comments | 0 votes yet, click here to agree or disagree

In her television interview with Piers Morgan, Cheryl talked about the past year, her battle with malaria and her relationship with Ashley Cole.  Nicola Roberts and Kimberley Walsh provided support for Cheryl, sitting in the audience nearby.

Cheryl cried openly has she discussed her marriage to the footballer that broke apart after she discovered he was cheating on her. She revealed that she still spoke to him regularly despite the painful circumstances surrounding their divorce. ‘Once we get over this obstacle, I hope we can be friends again.’ She said, ‘A part of me will always love Ashley.’

Cheryl’s latest single, entitled Happy Tears, is rumoured to refer to Ashley with lyrics such as ‘I cried when I heard you were cheatin’/ I cried when I said I was leavin’/I cried when my heart stopped believin’/But I’m all out of tears.’ Cheryl did not write the song but she approved it, perhaps lyrics such as ‘I sold all the diamonds and burnt all your clothes’ struck a chord with the divorced singer.

Cheryl maintained that she still believed Cole was ‘a genuinely nice guy’ despite his cheating. ‘Looking back on it, I feel numb.’ She said, ‘We had a great marriage and a fantastic wedding day but I don’t know where it went wrong. To this day I still question that.’

The X-factor judge cried again as she spoke of her battle with malaria over the summer. The singer said that she had written a will after doctors had told her that it was possible she could die of the illness. She told Morgan, ‘I thought I was going to die, I actually thought I was going to die. I thought if I’m going to die I want to die soon because I was in so much pain’.

Cheryl confessed to missing being just a ‘regular girl’. ‘Sometimes I feel completely trapped,’ she said, ‘I just can’t go back to Newcastle and put on tracksuit bottoms and Ugg boots.’

The Geordie beauty may have been trying to get back to her roots as she sported a new red hair colour after using a £5.99 L’Oreal DIY hair colour kit. The model for L’Oreal spurned her expensive hairdresser and used a Casting Creme Gloss in shade #550 Mahogany to create her new look.

X-Factor 2010: Katie Survives the Cut Whilst FYD and Nicolo are Rejected

By rjball

11th October 2010 | 1 comments | 0 votes yet, click here to agree or disagree

So after all the hue and cry and the threats of viewer backlash Katie Waissel has survived the first round of X-Factor Live and the judges managed to steer carefully round the elephant in the room of Gamu’s deportation. The 16 acts teamed up to kick off the show with a performance of Rhythm of the Night.

FYD, the only band not shaped by the manicured hand of Simon Cowell, and Nicolo Festa were the first acts to be ditched from the show in a double cut. According to the strange whims of the viewing public the opportunity to trim the dead (and hugely bizarre) wood that is Wagner or the unmemorable John Adeleye was not taken up. In honesty, as much as FYD were enjoyable, they are the kind of band that’s 10 a penny and Wagner, well not only would they have broken the mould after him, but likely burned the factory.

Nicolo received the lowest number of viewer voters after his version of Lady Gaga’s Just Dance and was automatically removed from the show. The Italian looked utterly shocked by the decision, apparently certain that his perfectly coiffured hair and diva title were a buy in to at least the second round. Nicolo spoke of his rejection on Daybreak this morning saying ‘No one was expecting it, even me’. Reportedly Jedward rang to offer their condolences, an experience I would imagine more pejorative than the voting.

FYD and Katie Waissel were the next lowest in the viewer’s votes and had to submit themselves to the judge’s decision after a last ditch sing off. Both hoped to send a message to the judges with the titles of their song choices, FYD choosing Rhiannon’s Don’t Stop the Music and Katie opting for Don’t Let Me Down by the Beatles. The judges chose to keep Katie with Simon Cowell being the only judge to back FYD. Danni and Cheryl both chose Katie, leaving the decision up to Louis who decided to make a U-turn on his previous statement that Katie was more style than substance and reward ‘passion and ambition’ over singing ability. In case you hadn’t noticed this was the primary criteria for a talent show, welcome to the X-Factor. FYD have made assurances that they will remain as a group despite their early departure from the show.

Katie chose We Are the Champions for her first performance of the evening, perhaps hoping to do the song justice after forgetting its lyrics in her first audition. Louis said that Katie hadn’t managed to convince him that she had substance as a singer and Danni said that the negative point for Katie’s performance was that ‘I don’t get the whole look’, you and I both Ms Minogue. Katie took to the stage in what appeared to be a stack of multiple day-glo golf visors, falsh eyelashes, purple tights and a silver and black striped dress/overcoat that defies description.

Judge Danni seems to be onto a winner after Matt Cardle and Aiden Grimshaw topped the bookmaker’s list with the shortest odds of all the competitors. Aiden wowed with his intense performance of Mad World by Garry Joules. Louis called his performance one of the best of the night and said they had found someone special. Danni raved about her mentee saying ‘that performance has legs and such substance, but there’s also this incredible vulnerability. Blackpool; turn the lights on Aiden is here!’ Matt Cardle also delivered a fantastic performance with his rendition of David Guetta’s When Love Takes Over still wearing his trademark hat, something that even the stylist team’s forcefully tasteless grip hasn’t managed to remove. Simon told him: ‘This was a genius choice of record. If you put this record out now, in a week’s time you’d have a monster hit.’

Mary Byrne was another to wow the audience and the judges with her performance of Its a Man’s Man’s world. Danni called it ‘the best vocal performance on the show’ and said ‘it would be an absolute crime if you went back to your day job’. X-Factor has since been called out for their repeated plugging of Tesco who are reportedly lapping up the attention their Irish checkout worker has garnered them. The supermarket heavyweights have reportedly lined up a £175,000 deal for Mary to promote their business and have urged staff for vote for Mary who has been given time off to perform. Mary Byrne received a standing ovation for her note-perfect performance of the James Brown classic and has seriously shortened her odds to win the show.

Cher Lloyd was determined to silence her critics after the furore over Cheryl putting her through to the Live stages and commanded the stage during her performance of Just be Good to Me. Whilst not vocally perfect, the tiny 17 year old has immense stage presence and had Cheryl dancing throughout her act. Simon commended her performance with the statement ‘any doubts anyone had about why this one picked you a couple of weeks ago have been blown away… you are exactly what we are looking for, which is a new little star.’

Rebecca Fergusson appears to have found her confidence and looked beautiful whilst delivering a dazzling performance of Teardrops by Womack and Womack. Cheryl said ‘I can’t heap enough praise on you’ and Rebecca remains one of the top five favourites to win. One Direction performed Coldplay’s Viva La Vida and were told by Louis that they had made it their own. Cowell commended the band saying ‘What was so impressive was that when one of you screwed up at the end, Liam jumped in and brought it together, that’s what bands do’

Storm Lee, another victim of misguided styling, gave a wildly energetic rendition of We Built This City by Starships whilst sporting a kaleidoscope band of coloured eye shadow and his new red hairdo. The singing was, as ever, wonderful but I remain convinced of the need to cover your eyes or face the wall whilst he’s on stage. Cowell summed it up with the statement ‘Louis has turned you into something out of batman and the performance is very 70’d glam rock- but I don’t think you had much choice.’

Things got ever more bizarre when wildcard act Diva Fever returned to the stage with their cabaret performance of Sunny, capering across the stage in neon cycling shorts. Only one of the duo actually appeared to do any singing but the performance was certainly entertaining in a wildly camp and cringe-worthy way. Louis wildcard, Wagner, contributed to the absurd and bizarre with his medley of She Bangs by Ricky Martin and Love Shack by the B52’s to the accompaniment of bongo drums. Simon encouraged us to ‘embrace the madness’ as X-factor tests just how far they can push their audience.

Paije Richardson, Danni’s wildcard entry gave a soulful performance of Killing me softly and Belle Amie, Simon’s handpicked girl group, performed Airplanes by B.O.B. Simon stated the need for a bit more ‘girl power’ in the completion. Really Simon? I think we said goodbye to that with the 90’s despite any attempts by Mel B to bring it back.

Treyc, Cheryl’s wildcard entry, gave a superb performance of One by U2, making Cheryl feel as if she was ‘the luckiest judge’ to be able to bring her back. However, Treyc contributed yet more controversy to the X-Factor media circus when it was revealed by The News of the World that the singer has a management deal and has already released a single, entitled A Time to Be Heard. Reportedly the X-Factor Lawyers have waded in to get her out of the deal as they did with Katie’s US contract under the pretence of ‘looking into this’ breach of the rules.

Joe McElderry donned a leather jacket, quiff and jeans in imitation of James Dean and performed his new single Ambitions on the show. Usher also made a guest appearance, perfroming a medley of DJ Got us Falling in Love and OMG before throwing his sweaty towel into the audience.

Gamu has spoken out after a lengthy silence over her visa and X-Factor ordeal stating that ‘the show has ruined [her] life’.  Entering The X-Factor has meant that Gamu’s departure from Zimbabwe has been highly publicised and now that deportation looms Gamu risks being punished for leaving and publicly criticising Mugabe’s regime.She said: ‘People there know I’ve fled Mugabe’s regime. Theres a firing squad waiting for us there and they’re putting me in front of it’. Gamu feels hugely guilty for the problems that now face her family saying ‘if I hadn’t applied for the X-Factor none of this would have happened.’ Ed Miliband has commented saying he feels extremely sorry for the teenager but her immigration status must be treated like anyone else.

X-Factor 2010: Gamu Faces Deportation

By rjball

6th October 2010 | 0 comments | 0 votes yet, click here to agree or disagree

Sunday evening saw Gamu miss out on a place in the X-Factor Live shows to the outrage of fans across the UK. Yesterday Miss Nhengu was delivered yet more crushing news when her family were denied the right to remain in Britain. The family must return to Zimbabwe or face deportation after their visa application has been denied.

Gamu thanked fans for their support after she was rejected on last weekend’s X-Factor, saying “Thank you so much to everyone. I’m overwhelmed by the support. The whole experience has been amazing and I’m doing fine.” Gamu’s dream of being able to help her mother through building a singing career in the UK has been shattered now that both must return to the country they fled.

Gamu’s mother, Nokuthula Ngazana, left Zimbabwe for Britain in an attempt to build a better life for her children.  Nokuthula came to Scotland and studied at Stirling University, where she qualified as a nurse. Whilst her mother studied, Gamu was left behind in poverty-stricken Harare, caring for her brothers and waiting for their mother to send for them. Gamu and her brothers joined their mother in Tillicountry when Gamu was 13 years old. Miss Ngazana was allowed to stay in Britain under the UK Fresh Talent scheme but her visa expired on the 29^th of August. The family reapplied and until yesterday had been waiting for a response.

The Daily Mail has revealed that Nokuthula claimed for benefits whilst working as a nurse, in contravention of immigration rules. During their 8 year stay the family were not allowed access to benefits and Nokuthula was required to support herself and her family independently. Immigration officials have claimed that Nokuthula received thousands of pounds of benefits over the years and has broken the conditions of her visa. The family have no right of appeal against the decision and Gamu, as a dependent, was also refused and must leave the country with her mother.

ITV received 600 complaints after The Daily Mail reported a story that claimed X-Factor Producers had told Cheryl not to pick Gamu due to doubts regarding her immigration status. Cheryl is reportedly hurt by the reaction of X-Factor fans to her decision to take through Katie and Cher rather than Gamu. Scotland Yard and X-Factor managers are reportedly investigating a death threat made against Cheryl due to the controversy. The message was sent across the UK over Blackberry messenger and included the phrase ‘Every1 has a bullet for you’.

Cheryl was allegedly advised not to choose the Zimbabwean singer as her wildcard entry and latest information proves this would have been impossible. It has been claimed that thousands of fans have threatened to boycott voting unless Gamu is brought back, but it seems that they will have to petition the UK Borders Agency rather than X-Factor Producers. Cheryls choice of wildcard entry remains unknown and now it appears her options are one choice short. Raquel Thomas, Anastacia Baker, Treyc Cohen and Keri Arrindell all remain in with a chance to join the live acts next Saturday. Treyc Cohen is rumoured to be taking up the wildcard place this saturday after her 2nd attempt at the X-Factor crown.

X-Factor 2010: Live Acts Selected Amid Fix Controversy

By rjball

4th October 2010 | 4 comments | 1 person likes this

This weekend 12 hopefuls were sent through to the Live Act stage of the X-Factor competition and the rest sent home. The bookies’ favourites, Cher Lloyd and Katie Waissel, both went through after disastrous auditions in the Judges’ ‘houses’ sparking accusations of a rigged competition. The Group category was also controversial with Simon putting through his own groups over those originally auditioned.

Cher was suffering from a throat infection and barely managed to rap the first part of her audition before she stopped and broke down. Cheryl comforted the crying 16 year old and asked her if she would like to try again later but Cher, subtitles provided, inaudibly whispered ‘I’m done now, I’m done. Sorry’. Cheryl still put the teenager through despite saying it was one of the ‘hardest decisions’ she had to make. Cher was a clear favourite of Cheryl’s after her first audition and it seems the decision has been made upon her earliest audition. Many have voiced the concern that Cher is too emotionally fragile to continue in the competition and Cheryl has been careless in putting her through. A director of the charity Kidscape, has said: ‘She’s too vulnerable; further exposure seems quite risky and foolhardy.’

This decision to ignore the most recent performance has caused much hue and cry in the ranks of X-Factor fans and such furore was only fanned by Cheryl’s decision to put through Katie Waissel as well. Pottering around the grounds of the Ascot Hotel with a lace parasol and absurd feathered eye-lashes and looking pensively off into the distance seems to be the extent of Wassiel’s talents. With her less than wonderful singing voice the Madonna wannabe appears to have more style than she has substance. Katie was another to break-down after barely beginning her performance, choking out ‘it’s a very emotional song’ before rubbing at a patently tearless eye. One can’t help but think this was a cynical attempt to cover up a cock-up but Waissel was allowed to begin her performance again, this time accompanied by an ill-concealed self-satisfied grin. This was the second time that Katie has had to start again during a performance after forgetting her words in the open audition stages.

Cheryl delicately broached the subject of Katie’s marmite effect by saying if she could be ‘brutally honest’ some may find her ‘a little annoying’. It may be more brutally honest to say that some may find her repellent and Katie has already acquired herself a collection of critics. Cheryl also said ‘when I’m talking to you there’s always something that I don’t believe’, we say you and us both Cheryl as Katie strikes false as easily as Matt Cardle hits falsetto. Cheryl dubbed Katie a ‘drama queen’ but that doesn’t seem the half of it; Katie appears obsessed with becoming a celebrity, appearing on a Youtube show Green Eyed World and there are rumours of a record deal under a different name. Katie has made it clear that she is desperate for fame, saying she wants to be ‘a star’, ‘an icon’, ‘a legend’.

X-Factor fans were outraged that Katie was put through at the expense of Zimbabwean singer Gamu who wowed in all three of her performances. Cheryl told Gamu that she was ‘adorable’ and that she ‘loves [her] style of song and how [she] performs’ but apparently this wasn’t enough and Gamu was given a no. There are reports that next week’s twist is the addition of a wild-card act from each of the judges which could see Gamu back on the stage.

Rebecca Ferguson was the first of the three to be put through into the live act stage of the competition. Cheryl confessed to reservations over her confidence but believed that she could help her and ‘bring [her] confidence out’. Despite her low self-belief Ferguson gave another beautiful performance in front of Will-I-am and Cheryl with her stunning smoky voice and is a favourite to win the overall competition.

The Boys were sent to a luxury villa in Australia where Danni selected her three to move forward. The first to go through was Aiden Grimshaw, followed by Matt Cardle and Nicolo Festa. With Cheryl’s masochistic weakening of the Girls category Danni may have pipped her to the post with this line-up for the Boys. Aiden, Matt and Nicolo are all individual and distinctive with seriously impressive vocal strength. Louis has already tipped Matt as a potential overall winner, saying ‘the winner is going to be the one with the most votes, but I think Matt has got something very special about him.’

Fans will be disappointed at the exclusion of Marlon Mckenzie and Karl Brown. Karl simply said that he was gutted and Marlon appeared to take the answer with good grace, giving Danni a hug. Making his rejection even more bitter, Marlon had told the camera earlier ‘I really want to provide the best for my children…I want to be a singer because I enjoy singing. This is like 21 years of a dream.’ Before delivering Marlon his ‘no’, Danni said he was the full ‘pop package’ but didn’t know if his voice was as strong as some of the acts within the category. We can but hope that Marlon will be returning to the competition if rumours of ‘wild-card’ entries prove true.

Louis delivered the news to his Over 28’s after deliberating with ex-judge Sharon Osbourne. Two of his choices appeared obvious in the run up to the performances at the Judges houses but Mary Byrne hit a stumbling block when she forgot her words during her performance in the Judge’s house. Louis was worried that she would ‘crumble’ under the pressure of the live performances but still gave her a yes. Despite his obnoxious affability Storm Lee was an obvious yes with one of the strongest voices in the competition. If you nip out to make a cup of tea when he begins his pre-performance spiels and then close your eyes when he sings you can pretend it’s not him and get the awesome singing without the cringing.

John Adeleye was the filler for the third spot, a care worker who seems to be the rare breed, on X factor, of a genuinely lovely person. Unfortunately he seems more hotel animator than he does pop star with Louis saying that he needs ‘time’. Thankfully we said goodbye to some of the more terrifying over 28’s such as Yuli Miguel, Justin Vanderhyde and Wagner Carrilho. Sadly Elesha Moses, one of the more normal acts was also washed out with the others but she will probably not be remembered let alone mourned.

Simon Cowell publicly patted himself on the back for his ingenuity in putting together Bell Amie and 1 Direction by putting both groups through at the expense of the real auditioning bands. F.Y.D were the only act of the original auditioned to join them whilst all others went home. Husstle were exposed for what they were: a dance troop of backing singers to the Mohawks front-man and broke down in tears when delivered their no. As anticipated Simon had no truck with acts Twem or Diva Fever, cutting them loose despite admitting that Diva Fever had begun to grow on him. The bow-tied Princes and Rogues were also sent home (thankfully), as well as man-group The Reason. The over 16’s in the X Factor fan base will be bereft, but the pre-pubescent will be delighted by 1 Direction, a troop of cookie cutter boys in the mould of Justin Bieber.

With rumours of wild card re-entries, X-Factor producers have once again played their viewing public like fiddles. As hoped, we’re all talking about the latest outrages and are bound to tune in next week to see if the rumours are true.

Cheryl Cole Launches Luxury Jewellery Line

By rjball

4th October 2010 | 1 comments | 0 votes yet, click here to agree or disagree

Cheryl appeared at exclusive London restaurant Nobu to promote Promise, a ring collection for luxury jewellery firm de Grisogono. This was Ms Cole’s first official public appearance since contracting malaria this summer and the 27 year old looked as beautiful as ever in a gold, asymmetric, beaded dress designed by Elie Saab. Cheryl has returned to polished, perma-tanned perfection after a difficult year involving illness and divorce from football star Ashley Cole.

The star has worn jewellery by de Grisogono on The X-Factor and appeared for the firm at a Cannes party in May where she was paid £250,000 for 30minutes of her time. Cheryl has landed a spot on the Rich List for musicians under 30 after increasing her personal fortunes to £10million last year.

The luxury ring is made of pink gold and blackened silver and was designed as a collaborative effort from Cheryl and de Grisogono designer Fawaz Gruosi. Ms Cole said of the collection, ‘I’ve always dreamed of creating a collection of specifically pinky rings. I asked de Grisogono to make my dream come true and together we have designed this first Promise ring’. Promise, designed specifically for the little finger, enables Cheryl to show off her unusual hand tattoo. The ring is listed on de Grisogono’s e-boutique as costing £770 and its name alludes to the title of the singer’s newest single: Promise This.

Cheryl was joined at the event by girls aloud band mates Kimberley Walsh and Nicole Roberts and X-Factor judge Louis Walsh Cheryl’s X factor mentee Dianna Vickers and actress Donna Air were also at the party.

Through Her Eyes: Cheryl’s Intimate New Book

By rjball

28th September 2010 | 0 comments | 0 votes yet, click here to agree or disagree

The past 8 months have been full of trials and tribulations for X-Factor Judge Cheryl Cole, but her new book is said to focus upon the positives. Through My Eyes makes no mention of her cheating ex Ashley Cole nor her battle with malaria. Instead the book is to include details on her relationships with dancer Derek Hough and co-musician Will-I-Am as well as talking about ‘finding her feet’ after stepping into the spot-light alone.

Early excerpts quote Cheryl as calling Derek a ‘sweetheart’ saying he’s ’the kind of person that makes the day more enjoyable’, doing nothing to clear up speculation on whether they are friends or lovers. The rapper Will-I-Am has jumped on a plane to join Cheryl in her role as mentor on X-Factor and a source for the Mirror has said that their body language indicates they may be more than just friends. The book is to be released on Friday and is to be serialised over 21 pages in Hello Magazine.

The British star is rumoured to be set to sign a multi-million pound deal with Simon Cowell to appear as a judge on American X Factor. Simon is said to have lined up X-Factor stand in Judge, Nicole Scherzinger for a more permanent role. The Pussy Cat Doll impressed Simon with her performance as stand in, he even took up her ideas regarding changes to the categories. Her empathy for the hopefuls, resulting in tears at certain points, was a refreshing force next to Simon’s usual callousness and commercial calculation.

Appearing on American X-Factor will provide Cheryl with a springboard for a fresh start in the USA and will allow her to spend more time in her much loved LA. With such prime time exposure the Geordie beauty’s American fame is likely to skyrocket. There are fears that we might not see Cheryl back on British shores if she successfully launches her music career state-side.

The next month has a lot in store for Ms Cole as she releases her newest album Messy Little Tears and presides over the X-Factor Live Shows. The Cheryl Cole rumour mill is grinding along and has thrown up the news that Cheryl has also agreed to an hour long interview with Piers Morgan on his ITV Life Stories show, set to air after the X-Factor Final in December. Such an interview will be ideal for Cheryl to lay to rest a year of turmoil.