Simon Cowell to return to X Factor UK

It has been confirmed that not only will Simon Cowell return to his rightful place on the X Factor UK judging panel – but that the X Factor US has been cancelled altogether.

Fox announced it was axing the show because “there is no X Factor US without Simon Cowell but we understand and support his decision to focus on the international formats and on the next phase of his personal life”.

In relation to his personal life there is no doubt that Fox are talking about the impending birth of Simon’s first child with Lauren Silverman, due at the end of this month.

Simon seemed delighted with his decision to move to the UK version of the show saying: “I’m absolutely thrilled to be returning to the X Factor UK. It’s been three years since I last judged the competition so I’m excited to find a global superstar again.”

The biggest question of all remains to be seen – will Cheryl Cole get her seat on the judging panel? We hope so!