Still on board: Cheryl Cole, seen here with Simon Cowell on the UK's own X Factor last year, is still in the running to be a judge on the U.S. version Cheryl Cole is still on the shortlist to be a panellist on the USA version of The X Factor - despite claims today that she's been dropped by Simon Cowell.
The Girls Aloud singer is still in with a shout, despite Cowell giving an interview to U.S. website Access Hollywood in which he listed a host of stars he'd approached for the job as judge on the show - bar Cheryl.
However, as Access Hollywood pointed out, it was just SOME of the names, not all - and Cheryl is one still very much in the running.
Cowell confirmed that George Michael, former Pussycat Dolls singer Nicole Scherzinger, Mariah Carey and Paula Abdul are all being considered for the show, but no-one has signed on the dotted line as yet.
Of the heavily-pregnant Carey, Cowell said: 'Yeah, I’ve spoken to her. I mean literally, we’ve spoken to lots of people. I’ve spoken to Paula...And then new people come along… [Two days ago], we met somebody who I’ve never met before in my life, who I just loved.
'And that’s why it’s good to kind of delay the process. It’s not about necessarily the TV show per se, it’s people. You genuinely gotta trust that they’re gonna be able to do the job you’re paying them to do.
'And like I said, a hit-maker who worked in America and has had experience, I think is crucial to this panel as well.'
Still smiling: The Girls Aloud star posed in a short white mini-dress for a photoshoot in Los Angeles earlier this week He hinted that Paula Abdul could be a shoo-in for the role and admitted that she was on a 'narrowed down' list of stars.
He told Access Hollywood of his former American Idol fellow panellist: 'We’ve taken it down to a smaller group of people and she’s in that panel. But, you know, it’s more than me who makes the decision,' pointing out that Fox executives still had a say.
A Fox TV source said of Tommy Mottola: 'Simon and Tommy have known each other for years since their days at Sony and Simon has wanted to get Tommy on board one of his shows for a long time.
Simon had lunch with the ex husband of Mariah Carey and music mogul last week in LA to talk about his possible role.
Keeping schtum: Cowell, seen here on The Tonight Show With Jay Leno earlier this week, has at least another month before he has to reveal who is on the panel Obviously, if Tommy takes the role it will mean there is no chance that Mariah will be on the panel - which just goes to show that the decision-making process as to who will be on the panel is still very liquid and yet to be set in stone.
The Mirror today claimed that Cheryl was on the brink of quitting the States as she was so fed up of hanging around waiting for an answer as to whether or not she would be on the panel.
They quoted her as telling a friend tearfully: 'I want to go home. I keep getting told to smile, smile, smile...but it's hard when I feel so sad on the inside.'
However, Mail Online can confirm that in fact Cheryl is not hanging around waiting for a decision to be made on the role - she's working on the US re-release of her album Messy Little Raindrops.
Another possible? Cowell met with fellow music mogul and former Mr Mariah Carey earlier this week to discuss a possible role on the show The star has been re-working some of the tunes with help from her friend Black Eyed Pea star Will.I.Am for the American market, as well as taking to opportunity to record brand new material.
She's also managed to fit in some magazine shoots too.
And there is still a month before Cowell will make an official announcement about who will join him on the show.
Auditions for the American X Factor will not even start until May – where producers initially sorting the wheat from the chaff - with judges coming on board shortly afterwards.
Mrs Cole’s record bosses are already making plans to launch her in the States with a makeover and the source said: ‘Cheryl has some very senior Fox people in her corner. And Simon, of course.’
The show will air in the U.S. this autumn.
Source:dailymail.co.uk