Simon Cowell is said to be on the lookout for a young male judge for next year’s X Factor and Gareth Gates is said to be a front runner for the job.

An insider told The Daily Star: “Like Cheryl, Gareth knows all about this sort of show as he was runner-up in the first Pop Idol series in 2002.

Gareth has a huge fan base and has sold more than 3.5million records.

Although he’s not recording any more, he knows better than most what competitions like the X Factor are all about.”

The source added: “Simon has his finger on the pulse and knows exactly how to keep the X Factor young, fresh and top of the ratings.

“It’s a genius idea to have a famous young bloke to join the panel next year. His only worry is that the judging panel would have three men and just one woman.

“If Dannii does end up staying, Louis could end up facing the chop a second time.”