Cole 'to be paid £750K more than Dannii'

Cheryl Cole will be paid £750,000 more than Dannii Minogue for the new series of The X Factor, it has been claimed.

According to The Sun, the Girls Aloud star has secured a £1.2 million contract with ITV, while her fellow judge Minogue is expected to receive £450,000.

A show insider told the newspaper: "Cheryl is the nation's darling. We may be living in the toughest economic times in decades, but when someone helps a show pull nearly 15 million viewers - as on last year's X Factor final - then you have to pay to keep them on board.

"Cheryl made last year's series. She gave us glamour and helped bring in the young viewers that we desperately need to woo advertisers. She's worth every penny."

Irish judge Louis Walsh has reportedly landed a £600,000 deal, while host Dermot O'Leary is believed to have negotiated a contract worth more than £1 million.

The source revealed: "ITV did want to cut Dermot's pay this year, but Simon Cowell said: 'No way'."

Cowell's own salary is arranged separately as he is currently under a £20 million contract with ITV, which secures him for both The X Factor and Britain's Got Talent.

Filming for The X Factor's sixth series is already underway. The show will return to screens in August.