Louis Walsh is all set to leave after this years X Factor BUT has claimed that if Simon Cowell were to return he could be persuaded to stay. Sigh! This year will mark the shows tenth anniversary and with that Louis felt it was time to leave.

'I've been doing it ten years,' Walsh said. 'It's an awful long time to be on the show. I don't want to be pushed. I'd prefer to leave than be pushed. To leave on my terms. Now if Cowell came back, I might come back. The two of us, we would not stop laughing. If Simon called me up and said… but, oh well. Let's see what happens'.

Walsh also revealed that X Factor bosses didn't try to make him reconsider when he delivered the news. 'They haven't said anything to me. Because I announced it without really telling them.' However all this could be for nothing, with a possibility of Cowell returning next year Louis might stay after all. Walsh then went onto to gush about his favourite judge saying, 'Simon. Those two, in that order: Simon and Sharon. They're two self-made people. Both of them understand that I love music, and that's why, I think, they like me. And they're both very loyal to me. They know I absolutely love what I do. I always send Simon funny texts. The last one was about the baby. I always send him funny texts about the baby, and getting married, and all that kind of thing. I'm always doing that. I think he’ll be a great father. Because he’s a big child'. So we just might see the two reunited yet.

Whatever happens next year though, Louis was adament he won't be digging out the dancing shoes to star on the XFactor's rival show, 'Strictly Come Dancing'. 'That was a joke! We had a warm-up comic on. He said, 'Oh, you’re leaving, where are you going?' And I said, 'Oh yeah, I’m going to Strictly,' and Sharon said, 'I'm going with him,’ just taking the piss at the live show. And it was really funny. But I’m not doing it. No way. I wouldn’t do it for all the money in the world. No, no, no. I couldn't. I can't dance. I cannot dance

The X Factor is set to return to our screens for not one but two shows on the 31st August and 1st September.