Sharon demands £500,000 'X Factor' rise?

Sharon Osbourne is demanding a £500,000 pay rise to return to the X Factor judging panel, The Sun claims.

Fellow judges Simon Cowell, Louis Walsh and Dannii Minogue have all agreed new contracts but Osbourne is still negotiating to up her £1.5 million deal.

Walsh, Minogue and Osbourne asked for pay increases after ITV added a new Sunday night results show to the programme. Now, with less than a month to go before filming starts, ITV is eager to secure Osbourne's services after signing up Walsh and Minogue.

A show insider is quoted as saying: "We need Sharon - and she knows it. She will return, but she's holding out for more cash.

"Let's face it, the show was all about Sharon and Dannii last year. They provided all the controversy and Sharon's very canny. She's not at war with Cowell, she's just holding out for more money."

Osbourne and Minogue repeatedly clashed during the last series of The X Factor, culminating in Sharon walking off the talent show live on air.

Minogue recently referred to her judging rival as a "bully".