dannii minogueAfter previous suggestions it could go either way, Simon Cowell has said he’s pretty sure Dannii Minogue will sign on for the next series of The X Factor.

Dannii was rumoured to be facing the axe after Cheryl Cole joined the ITV1 talent show last year - the two women were said to not get along and Dannii felt like Cheryl had replaced her as the show’s new young glamorous judge.

The music mogul, who is the show’s executive producer as well as the lead judge, told the Mirror: “As far as the judging panel is concerned, let’s just say that if I was a betting man my money would be on Dannii returning to the show.

“She was great last year and I am adamant she should be there for the next series. All being well, pen will be put to paper this week.

“Despite all the fuss concerning Dannii and Cheryl, I think the four judges worked really well together and gelled. There was an excellent chemistry.”

A source close to the show added that not only will Dannii return, she will do so with a huge pay rise: “She feels she has been a bit redundant but Simon pleaded with her to stay and has offered her a much more lucrative deal, doubling her £500,000 fees to £1million.

“The new deal will put her on a par with Cheryl, who has also been offered £1million to stay on for the next series.”

Cheryl was hired to replace Sharon Osbourne on the show after Sharon left claiming she couldn’t work with Dannii.