As Cheryl Cole prepares to return to the X Factor judging panel with Simon Cowell and Louis Walsh this summer, the hunt continues for the elusive fourth judge.
Will it be a returning former judge like Sharon Osbourne? Cheryl has requested another woman but will former Take That star Robbie WIlliams win a spot despite her wishes? Perhaps a brand new personality, possibly Ellie Goulding, or recently rumoured international super star Rihanna freshen the lineup?
© Photo: Getty ImagesOver ten years, The X Factor has had its up and downs, and plenty of judges shuffling around.
The original three – Simon Cowell, Louis Walsh and Sharon Osbourne – were the intial collection of judges and remained for the first three seasons of the show.
In 2007, Dannii Minogue joined the trio, and the additional fourth judge allowed for the boys and girls under 25 to split into two separate groups.
Girls Aloud star Cheryl joined the team the following year as Sharon stepped down, and the show began a run of producing finalists who would go on to become some of the world’s biggest pop stars, including JLS, Olly Murs, Rebecca Ferguson, and pop phenomenon One Direction.
At the end of the seventh season in 2010, Simon, Cheryl and Dannii all stepped down from their roles as mentors, and a brand new team joined Louis - who has remained on the panel for the entirety of the show's run.
Take That superstar Gary Barlow, Destinys Child band member Kelly Rowland and NDubz singer Tulisa Contostavlos sat with Louis for series eight before Kelly left and Nicole Scherzinger replaced her.
In 2013, Sharon was back to replace Tulisa, and now in 2014 it's all been shaken up again.
Numerous guest judges have also played a role in
The X Factor, and these include Katy Perry, Spice Girls' Melanie Brown and Geri Halliwell, series three winner Leona Lewis and British pop star Rita Ora... and some of these names were so successful they've popped back up again on our list.
