[Red Moon]

Rival X Factor judges Cheryl Cole and Dannii Minogue 'demand to be paid £1m' for X Factor

TV Judges Cheryl Cole and Dannii Minogue are both demanding £1million to return to the X Factor.

The stars, who have both agreed in principle to carry on in the ITV hit show, will negotiate their contracts at meetings in the next few weeks.

Dannii - currently on £500,000 a series - will ask for her pay to be doubled while Cheryl - on £750,000 - is said to be looking for a £250,000 pay rise putting them both on £1million.

But insiders say only Girls Aloud star Cheryl, 25, will secure the huge pay increase. Dannii, 37, will be left on a lower salary, expected to be about £750,000, for the second year running.

A source close to the negotiations revealed: "Cheryl remains the golden girl - the one they all want.

"That gives her huge leverage to make a lot of money from the X Factor. When it comes to the crunch, bosses will bend over backwards to ensure she signs on the dotted line.

"She's already on more than Dannii, so getting £1million isn't such a huge leap. But Dannii isn't in such a strong position. The pay leap is too big. She'll get a pay rise, but it still won't be in Cheryl's league."

Dannii was said to be furious when she discovered the pay gulf between her and Cheryl, who joined the panel last summer when she replaced Sharon Osbourne.

Last week it was revealed Irish judge Louis Walsh will hold out for £1.3million to rejoin the panel for this summer's series.

X Factor boss Simon Cowell - credited as the mastermind behind the show's incredible ratings success - doesn't have to go through the negotiation process because his pay is part of a £20million deal signed with ITV in 2006.

The three-year contract guarantees that X Factor - which pulls in an average of 10 million viewers a week - remains on ITV until the end of this year.

Last year Sharon Osbourne, 58, quit the show after demanding a £1million rise on top of her £1.5million pay to return for a fourth series. But ITV executives refused to cave into her demands.

Cheryl Cole, 25

Career: Record-breaking 20 consecutive Top 10 singles with Girls Aloud, four No1s.

Worth: £7m (plus husband Ashley Cole's £10m). Earns £600,000 a year in Girls Aloud.

Big Deals: Appeared on cover of Vogue and upped sales by 240,000 (20 per cent).

In the pipeline: £5m contract to write romance novels, jets back and forth to LA as she's planning a move into US TV.

Love: England and Chelsea footballer husband Cole.

Dannii Minogue, 37

Career: Judge on Australia's Got Talent. Eleven consecutive No1 dance singles in UK. Worth: £10 million.

In the pipeline: Single with The Freemasons later this year, a part in new British thriller film Vauxhaul Crossed.

Big Deals: Released her second "best of" compilation, The Hits And Beyond in 2006. Now signed to record company All Around The World, who also have stars Ultrabeat and Cascada

Love: One divorce, two ex-engagements, dating ex-English rugby player turned model Kris Smith.

Source:Daily Mirror

[Lewis.]

I hope they both stay!