Alesha Dixon may have joined the judging panel for Britain’s Got Talent this year, but show boss Simon Cowell has revealed that she could have just as easily ended up as a judge on his other talent show, The X Factor.

The former Strictly Come Dancing panelist and Mystique singer presided over her first auditions for the ITV show in Manchester yesterday and speaking to the press outside, Cowell confessed that he’s been trying to sign her for one of his shows for a while.

“I’d approached her originally to do X Factor but she’s ended up on Got Talent,” he told The Mirror. “I just wanted her for one of our shows. I thought she looked brilliant.

“She’s got energy, she gets it, and she wanted to do something different, not just for the money. She’s an ambitious girl and I wanted to work with her.”

The X Factor suffered at the hands of BBC’s Strictly Come Dancing this year, repeatedly bringing in lower ratings than the dance show and there is worries that the same thing will happen if Britain’s Got Talent goes up against The Voice. However the music mogul says that he’ll “do what it takes” to triumph in the ratings war, adding:

“With us and the BBC, I laugh about it, but there is unbelievable rivalry now. They want to be number one, I want to be number one. We do what it takes.

“It’s a game, all meant to be in good spirit, and it’s not supposed to be dirty tricks. We all begrudgingly shake hands when we see each other – but you don’t do anything for second place.”

Watch Simon arriving at the Britain’s Got Talent auditions in Manchester below.