It seems that Louis Walsh is trying to be a little more controversial this year and after recently claiming that he and former X factor judge Cheryl Cole are close friends, he appears to viciously slag her off in his latest interview.

The Irish star – who was the only returning panellist on this year’s series of the ITV show – first of all hit out at today’s celebrity culture and claimed that many music stars are more famous for where they go, what they wear and who they are married to than for their songs and creative talent.

He told Heat magazine:

“We’ve got an awful lot of part-time pop stars in the UK – people who win these shows and are more famous for being on the red carpet or falling out of clubs.

“They want to marry a footballer, you know the types… You have to have a talent and a reason to be famous.”

Strike one Louis!

He then appears to take yet another dig at his former colleague, by claiming that this year’s replacement judges are more ‘credible’ than Cole and Dannii Minogue, because their musical achievements means they more ‘deserve’ their spot on the panel.

He added:

“This year, we’ve got people who deserve to be there. They are more credible than our previous judges and they’re not afraid to say it how it is.

“They’re not just trying to be liked by the people. They can have a great disagreement on screen, but they don’t take it off camera.”

Louis was also very vocal about how much he is enjoying working with new judges Kelly Rowland and Tulisa Contostavlos, saying that he has always wanted to work with the Destinys Child star and loves her determination to succeed. he went on:

“I always wanted Kelly as an X Factor judge. I’d been recommending her for years. Everything is so American with her. It’s brilliant.

“She’s almost like an athlete; she trains every day with her voice, she watches what she eats, what she says. They both do, actually, Kelly and Tulisa.”

So tell us, have you moved on from Cheryl and Dannii completely like Louis, or were you a little sad that the lovely ladies weren’t about when Saturday’s episode aired?

Leave your comments below.