Cheryl Cole’s X Factor boot camp replacement Nicole Scherzinger, has been slammed by TV presenter Stephen Mulhern who says Kimberley Walsh would have been ‘ideal’.

The Geordie judge’s malaria scare meant she had to pull out of this year’s boot camp stage. Pussycat Dolls singer Nicole had been Dannii MInogue’s stand-in judge for the Manchester auditions, which Cheryl also couldn’t make, and show bosses loved her so much they signed her up to cover for Chezza at the next stage of the talent contest.

But Magic Numbers presenter Mulhern doesn’t agree with ITV’s decision and believes his one-time 5 O’Clock Show co-host would have been better suited.

Speaking to Metro.co.uk, he said: ‘Honestly I would have gone for Kimberley Walsh to replace Cheryl over Nicole for boot camp.’

‘She’s more like Cheryl. I don’t really know Nicole but I think Kimberley would have just been the perfect pick.’

‘I did the 5 o’clock show with her and I thought she was brilliant. I think she would have been ideal. It’s interesting that they’ve gone for Nicole. But we shall see how it turns out.’

But Kimberley doesn’t need to fear as she recently landed her own TV show Suck My Pop on Viva co-hosting with Will Best.

This will be the first time she has had her own official presenting role after co-presenting the 5 O’clock show with Mulhern last month.

There must have been magic in the water on the tea-time show though as Stephen also landed his own primetime show on ITV.

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