“I'm not Simon Cowell's puppet” - Cheryl Cole

Girls Aloud singer Cheryl Cole is furious with Simon Cowell for kicking her out from the judging panel of the US X Factor and then trying to bring her back to the show. She reacted to the news of her return to the show by saying that she is not a puppet of Simon.

“After the reports surfaced at the weekend that Cowell wanted her back, her pals were clamouring to know what was going on. Her text response was short and brutal – that she was 'no one"s puppet". It said it all. And while not mentioning Cowell by name, it was clear who she meant. Cheryl is very much her own person and she hated the circus that the X Factor had become," The Daily Mirror quoted a friend of Cheryl as saying.

The friend also added, “She was annoyed that when the bad news came, Simon did not even have the guts to tell her himself and left it to another exec. But she was even more upset that the discussions over her contract became open season for everyone. It was shoddy to say the least."

However, Simon claimed that Cheryl was kicked out of the show for her own good. “I think Nicole Scherzinger will be fantastic. And by all accounts the new UK judges are brilliant," he said, adding, “I never wished her to be embarrassed. I care for her greatly as a friend. It wasn"t vindictive. It was meant with the best intentions. But nobody was dumped, nobody was not paid."