Cheryl Cole has proved that she really does have the X Factor, by landing a massive pay rise when everyone else is facing cuts.

Cheryl joined the ITV singing show last year on a wage of £800,000 but The Sun reports that she has had that figure boosted by £400,000 as a reward for guiding Alexandra Burke to victory.

An X Factor source told The Sun: “Cheryl is the nation’s darling.

“We may be living in the toughest economic times in decades, but when someone helps a show pull nearly 15 million viewers — as on last year’s X Factor final — then you have to pay to keep them on board.

“Cheryl made last year’s series. She gave us glamour and helped bring in the young viewers that we desperately need to woo advertisers. She’s worth every penny.”

However the news won’t sit well with fellow judge Dannii Minogue, who is said to be getting only £450,000 for the series.

Why Simon didn’t just drop her I’ll never know.