Kate Thornton is "devastated" that she has been axed from The X Factor, says her former colleague Louis Walsh.

Simon Cowell had reportedly told the 34-year-old presenter that she would be asked to present the next series of the TV singing contest.

A source told Heat: "She couldn't believe it - she was mortified. She wasn't expecting it at all because she really believed Simon when he told her that her job was safe."

Louis Walsh, who has also been axed from The X Factor, told the magazine: "She literally had no idea they were going to drop her, and she's devastated. After Kate found out, she called me. We've spoken nearly a dozen times and she is upset.

"It's a nasty shock. I don't think people really appreciate quite how much she used to do behind the scenes. This was her baby, her show, and now she is going to have to watch someone else do it."