Jake Shears: 'I want to replace Cheryl'

Jake Shears has said that he wants to stand in for Cheryl Cole on The X Factor while she recovers from her treatment for malaria.

The Scissor Sisters frontman revealed that he is a big fan of the ITV show and praised the number of stars that the reality singing competition has produced.

The 31-year-old told The Sun: "I would be happy and very excited to appear on one of Simon Cowell's shows. I think I'd have a good time. I'd definitely be enthusiastic.

"I think it's a really wonderful thing. There's a lot of people who just think they're gameshows but people develop amazing careers out of shows like X Factor, Pop Idol and American Idol."

It was recently announced that Cole will miss the Boot Camp stage of this year's X Factor.