Cole: 'I've lost my gobby reputation'

Cheryl Cole has claimed that she has lost her "gobby" reputation since joining The X Factor's judging panel.

The Girls Aloud star has admitted that she was unhappy with the way she was portrayed in the press before she started working on the ITV1 talent show.

"I had got myself into such a deep hole of badness - a lot of negative stuff," she told the Daily Mail. "Till The X Factor there was this thing that I was the gobby bitch of the band. Yes, I'm opinionated, but I wasn't this person I used to read about. All these years I've guarded myself against criticism."

Cole also revealed that she is shocked by the popularity boost she has achieved since becoming Sharon Osbourne's replacement on the programme last year.

"I didn't think it through when I was offered it," she explained. "I just thought I'd sit on the panel and have a laugh at the nut jobs. Then it escalated."

The singer is now reportedly planning to crack America with the help of her X Factor co-star Simon Cowell.