Walsh signs £500k deal for next 'X Factor'

Louis Walsh has landed a £100,000 pay rise to appear in the next series of The X Factor, according to The Sun today.

The music manager was expected to quit the show following the recent series over a highly public spat with fellow judges Simon Cowell and Sharon Osbourne. That speculation was further compounded last week when it was revealed that Walsh earned less than his colleagues.

Now he has agreed to return for the third series, airing this autumn, for which he will pocket £500,000 - the same as Osbourne.

“After a bit of negotiation, I’ve signed up," Walsh told the newspaper. "I had to point out how much they need me. It’s not just me and the musical knowledge that I bring, it’s the acts that I back and who make it. Look at Shayne and G4. I make things happen for the show. Simon knows that.”

Cowell, creator of the show, is also thought to be adding a fourth judge to the panel next time round.