Cheryl has said that The X Factor will need a complete revamp in order for it to return in the future - which would include certain categories scrapped.
For years, the ITV singing show was considered a Saturday TV staple, with families glued to the telly and its contestants becoming huge pop stars - from Leona Lewis and Alexandra Burke to Little Mix and One Direction.
But from 2011, viewing figures began to decline and in 2019, boss Simon Cowell decided to rest the programme. Instead, two mini spin-off series aired that year - The X Factor : Celebrity and The X Factor: The Band, but neither attracted anywhere near the same viewing figures the show garnered in its heyday. Two years later, ITV confirmed that there were no plans for another series to air on the channel.
So what would it take for the show to return now, four years later?
Speaking to the Independent as she embarks on her West End debut, Cheryl admitted that she "doesn't know if the public want it anymore".
Explaining that it's " not the same as when everyone was gathered on the sofa on Saturday", she continued: "So, ‘I don’t know’ is the answer, but the public would have... it would have to be what they want."
She added that if the show were to return, it would need to be "totally reformatted".
Citing a number of the categories as feeling "inappropriate" - including the 'overs' group - she also suggested that having gendered categories would need to be scrapped.
“You’d have to have a gender-neutral option,” she said.
It comes after the BRITs decided to scrap gendered categories at their awards ceremony last year, instead awarding 'Artist of the Year' rather than best male and female.
However, this year it sparked anger after no women were nominated in the category, with Sam Smith branding it a "shame".
Cheryl also suggested that the show would need to pay more attention to the mental health of its contestants and judges. A number of stars over the years - including 2012 contestant Lucy Spraggan - have complained of a lack of support for mental health.
“I think [because] I was going through it myself and in my world so much, I didn’t really realise there wasn’t that in place. I just assumed there was," she said.
