The rumour mill never sleeps where the X – Factor is concerned. The latest round of rumours concern not the contestants but the presenter and judges, with three of them looking set to depart these shores for the states. Dermot O’leary, Cheryl Cole, and Simon Cowell are all but certain to sign up for the American X – Factor which is looking to launch next year. This would obviously leave a hole in the ITV talent show. 

Of the list of replacements, James Corden is tipped as replacement for Dermot O’leary, with Nicole Scherzinger being tipped to be a replacement judge.  In the 2010 X – Factor series, she received praise for her time on the show, was the brainchild behind One Direction, and declared she enjoyed it more than she thought she would.

At the moment there is no word who would replace one of the other judges on the show, and so far nobody has come forward for the job.

This year’s show was dogged by rumours of fixing from day one, and has seen much infighting from contestants and judges.

This year saw Matt Cardle win the series, and his single is vying for Christmas number one. With no one song doing well in the social media circus, it looks unlikely that a similar event to last year will take place where a social media campaign saw Rage Against the Machine claim the number one spot.