Simon Cowell has spoken to Heat magazine and confirmed that he believes TV presenter, Dermot O’Leary, was the ” natural choice” for the X Factor jon.

“He always could have been Mr Primetime,” Cowell said. “I said to Dermot, ‘It’s your gig and you’ve got to do what you want with it.’ I have met him on several occasions and I like him a lot - he’s a good guy.”

“From what I gather he took time to think about it very carefully,”

“I’ve had a few conversations with him on the telephone [about becoming host], but ITV have handled the negotiation side of things. They wanted him as well.”

It has been reported that Dermot turned the job down twice before finally accepting. That’s right dermot! Treat ‘em mean, keep ‘em keen!