Dermot O’Leary has given his support to new X-Factor judge Nicole Scherzinger, describing her as 'brilliant.'

The former Pussycat Doll was yesterday officially announced as the replacement for Kelly Rowland for this year’s ninth series, and the show’s host told ITN News that she is the perfect choice to join returning judges Tulisa, Louis Walsh and Gary Barlow:

“We start with Nicole on Monday in Newcastle.

“The great thing about Nicole is that she gets us, which is lovely. A lot of Americans, there’s not much cross over sometimes, but she’s brilliant.”

The 39-year-old also revealed his thoughts on several of the guest judges who stood in during the audition stages:

“[Geri Halliwell] knows her own mind. I love that about her. Mel B’s the one that really goes for it, and really doesn’t give a shit whether people boo her or not. She just turns around and shrugs her shoulders, and people respect her for that.

“I loved Rita Ora, she was terrific. She’s young but she knows what she’s doing, she spoke a lot of sense.”