[Spike]

Lulu has emerged as the bookies' favourite to replace Sharon Osbourne on The X Factor.

Ladbrokes have named the Scottish singer as the 2/1 favourite after a flurry of bets from punters. The firm had previously been accepting bets on her X Factor chances at 8/1.

Nick Weinberg, Ladbrokes' spokesman, said: "It's been one-way traffic for Lulu. In terms of the betting, she's got the X Factor."

American Idol judge Paula Abdul, who previously joined the X Factor panel as a guest in series three, is at 3/1, as is Kylie Minogue, the sister of current judge Dannii. Sharon's daughter Kelly is seen as her fourth most likely successor, with bets being taken at 4/1.

ITV announced that Osbourne had quit the talent series yesterday. However, Ladbrokes are offering odds of 5/6 on the fiery judge returning to the show.

Weinberg said: "We've lost track of the amount of times we've heard that Sharon's to quit. There's every chance it could be another stunt."

DS