Cheryl Cole is ready to snub Simon Cowell’s offer to return as a judge on the British X Factor panel after being dumped from the U.S. version of the show.
ITV wants her to return to their edition of the programme, with Cowell believed to be instrumental in the move.
However Cole is so angry at her treatment by American X Factor bosses – including Cowell – that she is considering turning her back on the show.
Cole has gone into hiding following her devastating sacking from the U.S. X factor.
The 27-year-old was last seen in public on May 19 at the auditions in Chicago.
Both the X Factor and Cole’s spokespeople are still refusing to comment on her unceremonious departure, however she is thought to have been informed of the decision by the network on Tuesday and is believed to have fled the States.
Cole is thought to be back in the UK and is remaining behind closed doors.
Meanwhile her apparent replacement, Nicole Scherzinger, was pictured strolling through LAX airport hours before the reports emerged looking extremely happy.
Simon Cowell is understood to be in a less than sunny mood though – inside sources claimed that the show supremo is suffering from a ‘bad migraine’.
Studio bosses had demanded immediate changes and it was decided Cole, who is relatively unknown in America, was dispensable. There was also concern that her Geordie accent would be hard for U.S. viewers to understand.
A close friend of the star’s said: ‘Cheryl is furious. This is another slap in the face. She moved to America in full public glare – and now she’s being asked to come back to do the UK again. She feels hurt and let down.’
Nevertheless, ITV sources were hopeful she may still return.
According to a senior source, ‘plenty of phone-calls are going on’. However, he admitted any deal would have to be done ‘bloody quickly’ as the auditions for the British series are due to begin next week.
On Thursday it was claimed that it was Cole’s choice to quit the American show – because she was missing Britain.
However, a close friend of the singer’s said: ‘She wasn’t homesick and wasn’t pining to come home. That’s not true at all.’
She was fired after TV bosses at U.S. network Fox said the show was not working in its current format. Television executives were ‘not thrilled with the chemistry’ on the judging panel, which also included Paula Abdul, Simon Cowell and record boss LA Reid.