Cheryl Cole Refuses To Sit Next To Louis Walsh On 'The X Factor' Judging Panel

Cheryl Cole is allegedly refusing to sit next to Irish entertainment manager Louis Walsh on The X Factor judging panel this year. Tensions have been mounting since Simon Cowell revealed in an interview that Cole didn’t want Walsh to return to the show, full stop.

Cheryl Cole has refused to sit next to Louis Walsh on the X Factor judging panel

Cowell told OK! magazine: “I want Louis to come back to ‘The X Factor’ - but Cheryl doesn’t.” The Geordie singer and Walsh have failed to see eye-to-eye on various occasions, particularly after she publicly revealed that he was a poor manager to her band Girls Aloud.

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Both Cheryl Cole and ex-band member Kimberley Walsh have addressed the situation in their autobiographies. Cole claimed that Louis paid more attention to the other bands he managed, while Kimberley Walsh wrote: “Louis has just never really been a hands-on type of managed, and back then we suffered because of it. Whatever the case, his disappearing act meant we had nobody looking after us and nobody fighting our corner as far as record company decisions went.”

Feisty ex-Spice Girl Mel B will be used as a "buffer" between Louis and Cheryl

Cheryl previously said she was hoping that a “strong woman” would be added to the judging panel and she got her wish when Cowell added “Scary” Spice, Mel B, to the mix.  Mel will apparently be used as a "buffer" to calm the tensions between Walsh and Cole with a source revealing: "A lot of thought has gone into the seating after Cheryl has said she wouldn't sit next to Louis.  The pair have a lot of beet from the days of Girls Aloud.  It means Mel has to sit between them - giving Cheryl the key spot next to Simon."

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