Dannii Minogue to be axed from The X Factor?

London (ANI): Dannii Minogue's pregnancy has put producer Simon Cowell in a fix as he cannot see how she will manage to perform as co-judge on 'The X Factor' with her baby due in the middle of auditions. Cowell, 50, is said to be looking at ways to offer 38-year-old Minogue a scaled-back role on The X Factor when it returns in the autumn.

"Simon sees The X Factor as a programme that is constantly evolving and developing," the Mirror quoted a senior show source as saying. "He knows Dannii was a big part of the show's success last year but he's has been thinking about tinkering with the formula for some time."

"The only spanner in the works is that Dannii is now pregnant. Simon is acutely aware how this could play out in public. He doesn't want to be seen as getting rid of Dannii because she's pregnant but realistically he knows it will be impossible for her to do the whole show from the auditions through to the live finals.

"It's a real dilemma but one option being considered is the possibility of giving Dannii a mentoring role on the show but not on the panel. Normally a decision like this would be taken much further down the line. But Dannii's pregnancy means the question has to be addressed now," the source stated.

Cowell himself has already voiced concerns about how Minogue could stay on the series. "At the moment she's having a baby in the middle of the show," he stated. Filming for the new series of 'The X Factor' begins in less than 10 weeks with the nationwide auditions.

By then Minogue, who has already revealed her intention to give birth in her native Australia, will be eight months pregnant. And so far she has done little to make the move easy for Cowell, publicly stating her desire to return to The X Factor.

"If possible, I'd love to be a part of the live shows and fly the Team Minogue flag," she had said. A spokesman for Cowell added: "Nothing is definite at this stage. Lots of things are being discussed."