14 DAY TRIAL // Cheryl Cole may have gotten her ego bruised when she was so unceremoniously dumped from the judging panel on the US version of X Factor, but at least she’ll be smiling all the way to the bank – when she’ll pocket £1.2 million for her short stay in the US.
Reports in the British media cited by the Daily Mail say that Cole will be asking for the salary for the full season for the 4 days she was actually on the panel – as a form of compensation for being dropped.
In other words, Cheryl will want X Factor bosses to fork up £1.2 million, which is the amount she negotiated for a season on the show, for the 4 days she was in the US for the auditions.
“Cheryl would expect the full £1.2million payment as a pay-off – despite her leaving the show so abruptly,” a source close to the television personality says for the Mail.
This, however, would mean that previous reports of Cole’s contract coming with a special clause allowing producers to sack her in case she didn’t fare well with American audiences, were inaccurate.
At the same time, Cole has severed all ties with the show that made her “Britain’s sweetheart,” the Mail says in a separate article.
ITV and the producers of the British X Factor gave her until last night to take them up on the offer to return as judge on the panel in her home country.
While she didn’t exactly turn them down, producers were forced to close the offer because Cheryl suddenly became “uncontactable,” says a reliable but unnamed source.
“That’s it. Cheryl will not be returning to the British X Factor. People have been trying to speak to her and persuade her this would be a good idea, but she’s been uncontactable,” the tipster explains.
“She hasn’t returned phone calls. And you can’t exactly negotiate with someone who won’t even speak to you,” adds the insider.
Coming to confirm that Cole is done with X Factor for good, last night, producers announced that Louis Walsh will be joined this year on the panel by Kelly Rowland, Gary Barlow of Take That, and Tulisa Contostavlos from N-Dubz.