'ITV to demand Cowell stay in US to entice Dannii back'
Simon Cowell is set to be told to stay in the US by ITV bosses in an attempt to convince former judge Dannii Minogue to return to 'The X Factor'.
Series chiefs are desperate to get the brunette star to come back to the programme and take departed judge Kelly Rowland's place on the panel.
They hope assurances Simon will be in America filming the Stateside version of 'The X Factor' for the duration of the British show will convince her.
Dannii has been hurt by claims made by the music mogul in new book 'Sweet Revenge: The Intimate Life of Simon Cowell' that she had a sexual relationship with him and her anger towards him is believed to be a problem for her return.
An insider told The Sun newspaper: "We'll be making sure Simon makes himself scarce. He will be too busy on 'The X Factor USA' so Dannii can relax. The last thing we want is Simon turning up to stick his nose in and for her to get annoyed.
"We know she is not happy about him spilling his guts in Tom Bower's book."
As well as promising Dannii that Simon will not be around, bosses are also trying to provide her with a flexible schedule so she can keep her job on 'Australia's Got Talent' and be able to care for her 22-month-old son Ethan.
The 40-year-old star - who recently split from Ethan's dad Kris Smith after almost four years with him - will be given the option to miss several AGT shows and return to the UK in time for the start of 'The X Factor' auditions, or miss the auditions and return for the live shows.
She also has the choice to appear on both shows, missing a few episodes of each.
In 'Sweet Revenge: The Intimate Life of Simon Cowell', the 52-year-old music boss is quoted as saying: "I had a crush on her. It was Dannii's hair, the sexy clothes and the t**s. I was like a schoolboy. She was foxy. She was a real man's girl, very feminine."
