Nicole Scherzinger's Ex-Manager Claims "X Factor" Used Cheryl Cole For Hype
Jun 13th, 2011
According to Nicole Scherzinger's ex-manager Jeff Haddad, he claims the pop singer was always a dead ringer to be on the judging panel. He claims Cheryl Cole was manufactured by Simon Cowell and other US X Factor bosses to "hype and publicize the show."
Jeff, who was Nicole’s manager for 13 years but was axed just before she signed up to do X Factor, has been crying conspiracy.
He says: “In my opinion, Simon Cowell always wanted Nicole as a judge. There was never a question that she wouldn’t get it. Nicole was always going to be on that panel. Cheryl was just being used as a cog in the wheel to cause hype and publicise the show.”
Jeff also tells this week’s heat magazine, on sale now, that plans had been in place for a long while for Nicole to be on the panel.
He said: “I had long discussions with Simon about her judging the US show and she was always a front-runner. Cheryl’s name never came into it and Nicole was never supposed to be a host. Her hosting the show was never even mentioned.”
He also rubbishes reports that it was Cheryl’s broad Geordie accent that got her the boot.
Jeff claims: “Cheryl’s accent never came into it – it was a cover-up excuse. Americans are used to all sorts of accents – it would have worked in her favour, if anything. Plus, she’s a great girl and an accent wouldn’t have been a factor in getting rid of her.”
Nicole has been on the show for just a week but has already won over the crowds.
My insider at the auditions in Newark, New Jersey, tells me: “From the very first day she was up dancing with people from behind the judges’ table. She was confident, bubbly and showed no signs of nerves.
“People commented on the difference between her and Cheryl at the LA and Chicago auditions the previous weeks.
“Simon says Cheryl will definitely feature in the TV show because of the contestants she judged – but it’s how they make the transition from Cheryl to Nicole without it looking too strange. They’re thinking of billing her as a guest judge."
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