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Andrew Lloyd Webber has confirmed that Nicole Scherzinger ditched Cats on Broadway for The X Factor - and admitted that he's "furious" about it.

Speaking to The Economist Radio, Lloyd Webber revealed that Nicole had agreed to take part in the Broadway production, but pulled out just before rehearsals began.

And he called her "crazy" for turning down the chance to star in Cats again, admitting that she has made him look stupid.

"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," he said.

"I mean, she's crazy. But the American producers just took a view - 'Well, fine, we'll get somebody else', because she's actually not very well known in America amazingly. She's much better known here."

And Lloyd Webber was not happy about the situation, saying: "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."

So it seems that Nicole definitely is returning to the X Factor panel, where she'll be joined by Simon Cowell.

Reports have claimed that Louis Walsh has already signed a contract to return, while the fourth seat is widely expected to be filled by Sharon Osbourne.

The X Factor will return to ITV later this year.

http://www.digitalspy.com/tv/the-x-f...-ditched-cats/

mess at the shade.