Cowell: DioGuardi will be back on 'Idol'

Simon Cowell has dismissed speculation that Kara DioGuardi will not be returning to American Idol next year.

The singer-songwriter had told TV Guide that she had only signed on to judge the talent contest "for one season" but admitted that she was hopeful that she would stay.

Speaking on The Ellen DeGeneres Show, Cowell insisted that he is confident that DioGuardi will "absolutely" be returning for a second run.

"It’s all a bit out of kilter here. I think certainly next year everyone’s going to be back," he said.

The music mogul continued to say that "all these contestants have signed up for our show and it’s the most important thing in their life and all we’re talking about is whether we’re going to be on the show or not".

However, he added that having four judges on the panel had meant that there was "less time for us to talk".

Last month, fellow judge Paula Abdul also hinted at an impending Idol exit when she admitted that there was a possibility of "moving on" from the show.