British sweetheart Cheryl Cole has kicked off her career as a judge on the American version of the hit television talent show, the X Factor however it has not gone as smoothly as she may have initially liked.

According to newspaper The Mirror, Cheryl Cole is reported to have been very nervous as she sat with Paula Abdul on one side and LA Reid on the other while those auditioning would continue to ask her to repeat herself because they couldn't understand her.

It has always been a concern of TV bosses that the strong Geordie accent of Cheryl would be a stumbling block in the US as viewers would not be able to understand what she was saying and it looks like their fears may have been correct.

Cheryl has clearly also recognised the problem. She told the audience: “You might have to bear with me and the accent a bit. I hope you are all looking forward to getting to know me.”

They may not be able to understand her but fans and the judges do already seem to love Cheryl as it is reported that more than 3,000 contestants were at one point cheering “We love Cheryl “ as she left the auditions.

Paula Abdul has also given Cheryl her seal of approval. Paula Abdul tweeted: “Lots of you ask “Whats it like to work w/ #CherylCole? Can you understand her accent?” She's a delight, lovely & sweet. What accent? :)”

There may be issues regarding her accent but it seems that Cheryl Cole has no intention of toning it down for the US audience. She told Sky News: “I have been here a lot, I've got a lot of American friends and we have the odd moments where they're like “What? - What did that mean?” -you know, a phrase. But I think it's going to be something that people get used to. I am proud of my accent.”

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