X Factor boss Simon Cowell offers Digital Spy the first news about next year's judges and speaks out about his "humiliating" Gifty Louise elimination gaffe in a new interview.
We caught up with the X Factor's head judge on the red carpet at the Pride of Britain Awards on Monday (October 31), where we asked him directly if fellow judges Sharon Osbourne, Louis Walsh and Nicole Scherzinger will be back in 2017.
"I hope so, yeah," he beamed, before joking: "Will you invite them?"
It's been a rough 48 hours for poor Simon, who made a massive on-air gaffe by accidentally initially voting to eliminate his own act Gifty Louise on Sunday's results show.
Simon quickly realised his mistake and cast his actual elimination vote for Four of Diamonds, but it wasn't enough to save Gifty from the chop.
"[It was] humiliating! Embarrassing - on live TV," he admitted to us. "You know, that's what happens on live TV."
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We couldn't let Simon go before asking the all-important question: Who does he think will win this year's X Factor grand prize?
"It's gonna change - I thought I knew but I've changed my mind," he teased.
With Gifty Louise now out of The X Factor, Simon's only hopes for winning this year rest with Sam Lavery and Emily Middlemas.
Following her shocking elimination, Gifty rather controversially alleged to Digital Spy that the judges conspired to vote her off.
"I''m really disappointed none of them said a word to me [when I left,]" she complained. "I just went back to the house [after being voted out] and packed my stuff. Simon told me, 'You're going to be fine, babe'. I haven't really spoken to him.
"[I was disappointed the most by] Nicole. I personally think they planned to vote me out – so you know, it is weird really. I did hear Louis say to Sharon, 'vote Gifty out'. And everyone heard it.
"I think I would have stayed in the competition had it gone to Deadlock."
The X Factor continues this weekend on ITV. The Pride of Britain Awards air on Tuesday on ITV.
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Naomi Gordon is news writer mainly covering entertainment news with a focus on celebrity interviews and television.
Justin is a freelance entertainment journalist and writer. He first joined Digital Spy as a freelance entertainment reporter in 2010 and also worked as a sub-editor for the brand, serving as Night News Editor from 2016 to 2024. Over more than a decade, Justin has covered numerous major entertainment events from the US and has interviewed a wide-ranging group of public figures, from comedian Steve Coogan to icons from the Star Trek universe, cast members from the Marvel Cinematic Universe and reality stars from numerous Real Housewives cities and the Below Deck franchise. Justin has also been on the ground to cover major pop culture events like the Star Wars Celebration and the D23 Expo. He's written for titles across the Hearst network, plus the likes of CBR and Us Weekly.
