NICOLA Roberts admits she will find it difficult to watch tonight’s X Factor results show as yet another of the acts gets voted off.

The experience of being on the stage in front of millions of viewers and the judges is one that she went through on one of the earliest music talent shows, 2002’s Popstars: The Rivals.

And the latest of Simon Cowell’s TV singing contests brings the memories flooding back.

So much so that when Nicola sees the contestants squirm, she feels for them every inch of the way.

Nicola, 26, said: “Every time I watch X Factor, especially the audition process, I can feel the nerves.

“I feel sick just like I did when I was taking part in Popstars: The Rivals.

“The feeling comes back because I identify with these people who love to sing and want to be surrounded by music and to be successful. Watching the show reminds me of how that feels and it is all too familiar.”

Tipping both Misha B and Little Mix as the most talented of the surviving finalists, Nicola added: “I actually love Little Mix. They are really fun and nice to watch.

“I met them the other night and they are really genuinely close in their support of each other.

“I think they are going to have a really good work ethic. If you have that understanding of each other you are prepared to work hard.

“Determination can’t be overlooked. They are really lovely girls.

“Misha B is really talented. Her understanding of music and her dedication to it is apparent.

“It is very clear to see. But just as much as it is a talent competition, it’s a popularity contest as well.”

Next up for Nicola is new single, Yo-Yo in January. Taken from her recent Top 20 album Cinderella Eyes, it follows hit singles Beat Of My Drum and Lucky Day.

“It feels like ages ago that I released the first single from the album. I feel like this year has been a blur,” she said.

“It’s strange because I spent so long making the album in the studio and submerged myself into that way of life.

“I had to put it out there and, at times, it felt like I would never see that day. I got so used to seeing the songs as demos or on my laptop.

“It was amazing, after 18 months of hard work, to have that little CD.”

The new single is Nicola’s personal take on a past relationship that left her at sixes and sevens.

She explained: “Most people have been in a situation where they are in the desperate side of love and they don’t know if they are coming or going.

“You do feel vulnerable in that situation. The song was drawn from the dark side of love.

“People ask me how it feels to write songs like that and let people listen to them because it is like writing a diary and letting people read it.

“The albums I like are the ones where you believe in what the person is singing about because it is true to them.

“It makes it more powerful. Inevitably, when you are writing you are doing so from your feelings, so it is more personal to you.

“I knew how I felt about those things so I wouldn’t say it was a therapeutic experience,” she added.

“It’s a totally different feeling to being in Girls Aloud.“

Meanwhile, Nicola is perfectly happy with boyfriend Charlie Fennell – provided he takes the rubbish out.

“We’ve been together for three years now. He’s lovely. It is a serious relationship. We live together. We have our little substitute sons, our two little dogs called Ronnie and Reggie. They are pugs.

“But we are still really young and we are both career driven.

“It works. We share the responsibilities at home.

“And I think taking the bins out is ultimately a man’s job.

“You can’t let your girlfriend take the bins out.”

The singer recently went from redhead to blonde and has her own Dainty Doll make-up range for pale skinned girls.

She was celebrating her ninth anniversary as a member of Girls Aloud – currently on a break – during our interview, on Wednesday.

She said: “Girls Aloud are nine today. What time is it? Three forty-two. We were in camera rehearsals back then.

“It’s crazy to think it was so long ago. I never would have imagined nine years ago the rollercoaster, the different paths and peaks and troughs we have gone through individually and as a band.

“Some of it is so far-fetched, you could never have imagined.”

The highs included 20 consecutive Top 10 singles as a group, including four No.1s, and two No.1 albums, and winning a Brit Award for Best Single with the 2009 hit The Promise.

Among the possible lows was Sarah Harding’s stint in rehab to deal with depression and alcohol dependency.

“We support each other in everything we do and we are all there for her,” Nicola said, speaking for bandmates, Cheryl Cole, Nadine Coyle, Kimberley Walsh and Sarah.

“Whenever any one of us needs an extra bit of TLC we are ready and we jump to the occasion and Sarah is good, she’s okay.”

As an often talked-about Girls Aloud reunion is put on hold until mid-2012 at the earliest, Nicola is progressing with her solo career.

By doing so she is following a dream that she has had since she was just 10.

“I did a little talent competition in a holiday camp one summer,” she recalled. “By then I was 11 years old.

“I told my parents I was going to take part and they were laughing. But I practiced and practiced and took part. I sang Say You’ll Be There by The Spice Girls and I ended up winning.

“Everything spiralled from there. I auditioned and auditioned and I took part in competition after competition.

“I was so far gone mentally with the fact that I wanted to become a singer, and music and singing was so important to me, that it had to happen.”

Known to have had issues with her confidence in the past, Nicola now feels better than ever about the future.

She said: “I was just 17 when I joined Girls Aloud. Nine years later I am in a different place in terms of confidence.”

And the singer is hoping to head to Scotland for a solo show soon.

She said: “I would love to come to Scotland. Whenever we have been there with the girls, the fans have always been crazy.

“We always know that it is going to be good fun because the crowd is so much louder.

“I do get people tweeting me asking when I am going, so fingers crossed somebody brings me up there.”

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Cheryl Cole has revealed that she is proud of what her former X Factor acts have achieved.

The Girls Aloud singer insisted she is happy about the success Cher Lloyd and Rebecca Ferguson have enjoyed over the past 12 months.

Cole posted on twitter: “Feels like I’ve blinked and we’re back in November, its been a crazy year.

“So proud of what my girls have achieved @CherLloyd and @RebeccaFMusic are doing so well!! Just been watching this…wow (sic).”

The former X Factor judge also posted a link to Ferguson’s music video for her new single Nothing’s Real But Love.

However, Cole failed to mention her other acts from 2010- Katie Waissel and Treyc.

Waissel, who now fronts a band named `The Red Velvet Lovers’, wrote on twitter: “Ouch lol @RedVelvetLovers #rocknroll”

Meanwhile, neither Cher or Rebecca has tweeted a reply to Cheryl who both say they have not heard from since the end of the competition.

Source – STV

Cheryl took to twitter to thank Paula for flowers she had recieved from her.

cherylcole
Oh Wow.. I just received the most beautiful flowers from @PaulaAbdul http://www.whosay.com/cherylcole/photos/74984

cherylcole
@PaulaAbdul.. Thank you sooo much for my Gorgeous flowers and kind words.. So thoughtful.. !

And Paula quickly replied back

PaulaAbdul
@cherylcole I’m thrilled you liked them. I’m thinking of you..Would love to say “you’re welcome” to you IN PERSON (hint hint) Love you! xoP

A source is quoted: “She is still lying low at the moment but there have been conversations with her management and things are moving forward. The BBC are hopeful she will commit.”

It was announced yesterday (Friday) that BBC One will debut ‘The Voice’ in 2012, following the Dutch format’s success in the US.

BBC One controller Danny Cohen said: “I’m absolutely delighted that ‘The Voice’ will be coming to the BBC. It’s a big, exciting and warm-hearted series and will be a fantastic Saturday night event on BBC One.”

Cheryl Cole had previously been tipped to defect to the BBC for ‘The Voice’. A source at the singer’s record label had said: “Universal are heavily involved in recruiting judges for ‘The Voice’ when it moves to the BBC and they are urging Cheryl to be the big star of that show.”

Meanwhile, Robbie Williams has also been rumoured to become a judge on the BBC One show as a possible rival to his Take That bandmate Gary Barlow, who has joined ITV’s ‘The X Factor’.

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Courageous Cheryl Cole sent US X Factor judge Paul Abdul a bunch of flowers yesterday in the clearest sign yet that she is getting over her cruel show snub.

The Geordie singer – who has been a total recluse since she was booted off the show two weeks ago – sent the gift to show she has no bad feelings towards Paula.

And the heartfelt gesture was not lost on the American star, who tweeted: “Gorgeous flowers from a gorgeous girl. Sweet friend… love you #Chezza thank you so much!”

Paula, 48, has been in New Jersey all week at X Factor auditions alongside new judge Nicole Scherzinger, while Cheryl has been hiding out in a UK bolt-hole, trying to put her fortnight from hell behind her.

At the time of her sensational sacking there was a suggestion she had clashed with Paula. But last night a source close to the 27-year-old revealed: “Paula and Cheryl really are good friends.

They have spoken on the phone several times in the last two weeks and Paula has been offering Cheryl plenty of advice about what to do next.

“Cheryl wanted to send the flowers to show that she does not blame Paula in anyway.

“Whether she can say the same for Nicole and Simon Cowell is another matter and maybe it is telling that they didn’t receive any flowers.”

Since Cheryl was unceremoniously dumped by her former mentor Cowell she has not been seen in public – and is said to be deeply upset by his comments about her.

The music mogul has said this week Cheryl should have a “thick skin to cope with this”.

And he also added: “I am sorry this has caused so much anguish and embarrassment, but I stand by what I believe was the right intention. And I would say that to her face right now.”

Cheryl’s family are trying to encourage her to leave her hideout and return home to Newcastle – but her only concern is to avoid the limelight.

Our source said: “Cheryl’s definitely on the mend. But she still gets very upset every time she heard Simon talk about what went on. She trusted him implicitly and genuinely thought of him as a friend.”

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Simon Cowell finally has broken his silence on the X Factor Cheryl Cole saga, hoping to set the record straight on the Geordie singer’s axing from the US show.

Publicly apologising to the Girls Aloud star, he told the Sun: ‘I’m sorry. I’m not a monster.’

It seems the music guru still hopes to make things right with his former pal, claiming he was only looking out for what was best for her during the entire fiasco.

‘I’m sorry. I hope we’re still close friends’ he said. ‘She’s still a star. The hardest thing to accept is that everyone has painted me as a monster because I embarrassed her.

‘But the truth was I was protecting her. I just want people to be in the best place at the right time,’ he admitted, ‘I just thought she’d be happier in the UK.’

And despite hearsay that her accent put her on the chopping block, Simon has insisted it has nothing to do with it.

‘We noticed she was quieter than normal. The feeling was that she was slightly out of her comfort zone in America. The intention was to do it quietly and say to her she had an option to rejoin the UK show.’

He also denied reports that she had been sacked, insisting he wanted her to go back to her role on the UK show.

‘At the end of the day we were saying, ‘move to another show for even more money’. There was an offer of around £2.5million on the table including bonuses. How is that sacking someone?’

He also revealed that he didn’t tell her to leave the US show – but instead executive producer Richard Holloway delivered the final blow: ‘I wasn’t the right person. I felt she would be more comfortable to hear it from him.’

With Nicole Scherzinger now confirmed as the new judge replacing Cheryl on the US X Factor, it seems Cheryl’s fate has been sealed. But despite this, Simon insists that there are other roles for her on different shows.

Cheryl still hasn’t spoken out about her ordeal, but a friend told The Sun: ‘If Simon wants to say it wasn’t personal, that’s up to him. But the reality is he really pushed her into doing the US show. She would have been happy doing another year on the UK show.

‘At least he has said she walked away and that she wasn’t fired.

‘She just wants to take a break from all this and look to the future. It has been completely exhausting but she isn’t going to let it get in the way of her life any more.’

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Gary Barlow has admitted he is “disappointed” Cheryl Cole is no longer part of the X Factor as he arrived for the first day of auditions.

The Take That singer has been drafted in to replace Simon Cowell as a mentor and judge on the hit ITV show.

And last year’s female judges Dannii Minogue and Cheryl have both been replaced, with Kelly Rowland and Tulisa Contostavlos the new additions.

Cowell is focusing on launching the X Factor in the USA, and had taken Cheryl with him as one of the panel members.

But the Girls Aloud singer was replaced by Pussycat Doll Nicole Scherzinger part-way through the audition stage after failing to convince show bosses.

ITV offered her a return to the UK version of the show but she did not get back on board.

And pal Gary admits he would love to have worked with her, but is sure Kelly and Tulisa will win fans.

He said: “I sent Cheryl some texts just saying ‘Sending support’. She’s a good friend of mine. I’m disappointed she’s gone.

“The other two girls are going to be great.”

But he is not sure Cowell will be missed so much. He joked: “It was time he went anyway, he’s been on it too much.”

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Paula Abdul has spoken of her sadness after her The X Factor co-star Cheryl Cole was dropped from the U.S. TV show.

Abdul and Cole had signed up to sit on the panel of the new American version of the British talent contest along with music mogul Antonio ‘L.A.’ Reid and creator Simon Cowell.

Auditions began in Los Angeles earlier this month (May11), but Cole was axed this week (begs23May11). She will reportedly be replaced by Nicole Scherzinger.

Abdul, who previously worked with Cowell on American Idol, reveals she was travelling when the news broke, and admits she will be sad to see Cole go.

She tells reporters during a promotional trip to Singapore, “This is all news to me. This apparently has captured the news while I was travelling so I’m just finding out things as you are. I don’t know whether this is true. You probably know more than I do.

“All I can tell you is that she is lovely, and I was really excited about the relationship and friendship we were forging. Regardless (of what happens), I’m looking forward to continuing that. She’s lovely.”

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CHERYL Cole went dotty at the US X Factor auditions yesterday – and finally stole the spotlight from fellow judge Paula Abdul.

The Geordie looked like butter wouldn’t melt in a wholesome polka dot smock and a pair of spotty navy blue wedge heels.

And Cheryl, 27, seemed happy to take centre stage as she and the other judges arrived at the try outs in Chicago.

She waved and laughed as she posed for snappers outside the Sears Convention Center.

And the Girls Aloud star was clearly going for the cutesy look – as opposed to Paula, 48.

She opted to flash her impressive pins in a sexy animal print miniskirt, which she teamed up with a floral print long-sleeved top.

But boss Simon Cowell, 51, seemed pleased with both of their wardrobe choices and gave a thumbs up to the crowds outside.

He recently declared that the pair were getting on famously – after TV Biz told that they had agreed a pact to annoy Simon.

The music mogul said: “They get on great. Cheryl adores Paula.

“She’s never worked with her before and I’d always spoken about how much fun she was so there’s a bit of a love fest going on at the moment between those two, but that will soon change.”

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The US X Factor cast attended the Fox Upfronts event yesterday in Central Park, New York City.

Cheryl wore a orange dress with a high neck design, white t-bar stilettos and strings of Vivienne Westwood pearls.

Last night’s event marked the first time the whole U.S. X Factor team had been photographed together.

The show will start in the Fall on FOX. Performance shows will be aired Wednesdays 8-9:30pm, and Results Shows aired Thursdays 8-9pm.

Check out all the pictures on the forum below.

Pictures