The X Factor has responded to rumours of Louis Walsh's return to the show as a fifth judge by describing it as mere "speculation".
Walsh was reported by UK tabloid The Sun to have made a deal to come back as a neutral fifth judge alongside current incumbents Simon Cowell, Nick Grimshaw, Rita Ora and Cheryl Fernandez-Versini for the upcoming live shows.
Sources told the newspaper that X Factor bosses decided to bring Walsh back to the ailing show in a bid to boost falling ratings, especially as BBC rival Strictly Come Dancing returns tonight.
According to an insider Louis will be "a neutral fifth judge who will sit in a special place away from the others to provide unbiased comments on the contestants". There's even talk of giving the judges Strictly Come Dancing style score paddles to rate their singing ability.
But a spokesperson for The X Factor stated: "The X Factor is one of the most watched shows on TV. It continues to draw millions of viewers each weekend with millions more watching on catch up. A total of 9.6 million watched the opening episode including 2 million on demand.
"The live shows do not start until the end of next month and any talk of plans at this stage is speculation."
Last week, Walsh was less than enthusiastic when asked about his X Factor replacement, BBC Radio 1 DJ Nick Grimshaw.
"I'm not sure about Grimshaw. I haven't seen much of him," he told The Daily Star Sunday.
"People don't like change and I think they miss [presenter] Dermot [O'Leary] and maybe some people miss me."
Meanwhile Little Mix, who won the show in 2011 under the mentorship of Tulisa Contostavlos, have weighed in on the possibility of the show taking a break, saying it might people appreciate it a bit more.
Jade Thirwall said, "I think The X Factor is a brilliant show, but it has [been on] every year and maybe people will appreciate it more. Like, you know when you split up with someone and then you get back with them and it's even better?"
Band-made Jesy Nelson added, "It's getting a bit predicable. You kind of know what's going to happen. Simon's going to go [raises hand], 'Give me another song', and all that. I feel like I literally know what's going to happen next. It's like watching a film you've seen 10 times."
The X Factor's current contract with ITV will expire in 2016.
