Nicole Scherzinger has revealed her side of the story after Andrew Lloyd Webber claimed he was "furious" that the singer left the musical Cats before she could appear in the Broadway production in order to appear as a judge on the next series of The X Factor.
The composer told The Economist Radio about Nicole's departure, saying: "A week before we were going to go into rehearsal with Cats on Broadway, which luckily I'm not producing, she calls me and says she's decided she wants to do X Factor, having agreed everything."
Nicole said she "adore[s] and respect[s] Andrew"
"I'm furious because I really believe she's the most fantastically talented girl and I went out on a limb to get her for the London Palladium here, and it makes me look like an absolute twot with them all.
"But never mind, there'll be another girl on Broadway and Nicole will not get her Tony Award."
Speaking to RadioTimes.com, Nicole defended her decision to leave the production, and revealed that she was under no contractual obligation to remain in the role.
She said: "I had every intention of doing Cats on Broadway but the contract was never finalised. I am incredibly blessed to be given so many amazing opportunities, including Cats, but unfortunately we weren’t able to make it work this time around.
Nicole was playing the iconic role of Grizabella
"I adore and respect Andrew, I'm so grateful for our friendship and can't wait for the opportunity to create more magic together."
Although it is yet to be confirmed that Nicole is definitely returning to the singing competition, a source told The Daily Mail that the 37-year-old is the first choice for the judging panel. They said: "Nicole was a huge success when she was on The X Factor a few years ago and has long been a part of The X Factor family.
"She provided fun and entertainment and a huge personality to the show. She is the definite favourite to get the seat next to Simon."