Nicole Scherzinger was tempted back to \'The X Factor: Celebrity\' partly because the show "just cuts straight to the chase" compared to the normal version.
The 41-year-old singer is reprising her role as a judge for the new star-studded series, and she was keen to come back as soon as show boss Simon Cowell rang her.
She said: "Simon called me personally and that always means a lot. We had a few discussions about what was going to happen and that was it really.
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"I didn\'t have any concerns about coming back, it\'s in my blood to do this. I feel like I\'m really good at this. Simon really wanted me back, so we made a pact and we made it work.
"Obviously it\'s a lot shorter, which is the difference between \'The X Factor: Celebrity\' and the ones in the past.
"This one doesn\'t have boot camp and all that jazz, and I loved that we just cut straight to the chase. I was really excited to see who the celebrities were going to be."
Nicole admits finding out journalist Martin Bashir is taking part in the show was her biggest shock about the changed-up version of this year\'s ITV talent show, which will also feature talk show host Ricki Lake, former \'Glee\' actor Kevin McHale, and a group made of former Love Islanders, among others.
When asked which stars she was most surprised to see on the show, she said: "Martin Bashir. He\'s my biggest surprise. We\'re used to seeing him interview people like Princess Diana.
"He\'s the kind of person people are not used to seeing in this light, and the way he spoke about why he did it, his voice and his performance, he was the biggest surprise to me, for sure."
Nicole also admitted her love of the UK played a part in tempting her back to the show.
She added: "When Simon asked me to do this show, I realised how much I miss the UK. It\'ll be great to be back.
"It\'s so funny, because all my friends think I\'m pretty much an adopted Brit, because every time they\'re in London they\'re like, \'We\'re in London! Where are you?\'
"I\'m like, \'Guys, I\'m in LA.\' They normally just assume that I live there all the time. So, it\'ll be great to go back and spend some time there."
18 October 2023 - 12:00 AM
