Pussycat DOSH: Nicole Scherzinger wants to double her money in new X Factor deal
The singer wants 1.5million to stay as a judge on the ITV talent show this year alongside Gary Barlow, Louis Walsh and Sharon Osbourne
Hit: Nicole was the star of last year's X FactorRex
Pop beauty Nicole Scherzinger is holding out for 1.5million from X Factor boss Simon Cowell to stay on as a judge on the hit show, the Sunday People can reveal .
The singer wants to double her money to star alongside Gary Barlow, Louis Walsh and Sharon Osbourne.
Nicole, 35, who was undoubtedly the star of last years series, is determined to earn what she thinks shes worth this year.
Show sources have revealed the former Pussycat Doll is in talks with Simon, 53, but the current sticking point is her fee.
Last year she got 750,000, less than Barlow but more than Tulisa Contostavlos, who looks unlikely to go back for a third time.
Ken McKay
Nicole would also benefit from a sales boost for her next album, on sale around the time of the new X Factor series.
One source said: Cowell has made Nicole an offer but she knows the money she wants and its double what she got last year.
She knows that she was the star of the show last year and therefore thinks she should be paid appropriately.
Last year it was all so rushed, she was a last minute replacement for Kelly Rowland, so she couldnt negotiate properly.
This time around, she is understandably playing hardball. She knows that she is the judge that people are still talking about.
Nicole sees the role as a job, not just a chance to be on TV. She hopes for an agreement but she wont go back unless terms are right.
View galleryThe X Factor 2012 in pictures
View gallerySharon, who is expected to return after a five-year break, has been persuading Cowell he needs Nicole back whatever it costs. She and the Poison star are close friends.
The source added: They go back quite a while. After her fall out with Dannii Minogue, she wants a girl she gets on with and doesnt want the constant bitching again.
Music boss Sharon, 61, quit in 2007 after four years and was replaced by Cheryl Cole.
After meetings with Simon, she is almost a dead cert to rejoin. Barlow is almost definite, as is Louis the only judge in every series since its 2002 start.
Despite enjoying the show, Nicole, who is dating F1 ace Lewis Hamilton, hinted in December she wouldnt return.
She said: I dont know if Ill come back.
An X Factor spokesman said: No formal decisions have been made about the panel for this year or any contracts.
[View the story "Nicole Scherzinger's most memorable moments" on Storify]
Storified by The Sunday People Sat, Mar 23 2013 05:53:40
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