Simon Cowell has revealed that new judge Cheryl Cole may be too exhausted to return for another series of X Factor next year.

"It’s too early to say if Cheryl will be back," Cowell told the Daily Star. "She’s drained by it. You’ve got to get to the end of the show, give it a couple of weeks and go: ‘Do I want to do it again?’ If she says yes we’ll welcome her back."

Cheryl was drafted in as a judge earlier this year after Sharon Osbourne quit in the midst of a pay dispute. She has proved to be very popular with the public and is tipped to win the competition this year with one of her female acts.