She can sing, she knows what she's talking about and her beauty is totally natural. No wonder Dannii Minogue looks so sour beside X Factor rival Cheryl Cole.

Dannii Minogue is not the best singer in the world. Let's be honest, she's not even the best singer in her family. Until she joined The X Factor last year, she was little known outside Australia as anything other than the sister of Kylie. Then along came Simon Cowell, who makes stars not only of contestants but also out of judges.

But I have yet to find one person who enjoys her presence on The X Factor, and it was only rumours of her battle with Sharon Osbourne that sustained our interest in her during last year's show.

One smart cookie: Cheryl Cole

Dannii is morose, bitter and blasé, and delivers her lines through a face that looks as if it has been frozen in aspic. The mouth moves but the rest looks Botoxed to the point of rigor mortis.

What a difference from the exquisite 25-year-old Cheryl Cole. She was Cheryl Tweedy when she and her Girls Aloud bandmates won Popstars: The Rivals in 2002, and they have since become one of the most successful girl bands of all time.

When it was announced that The X Factor would be returning with Cheryl replacing Sharon Osbourne (who left, reportedly, after demanding too much money), there were murmured doubts as to whether she could fill the formidable Mrs O's shoes. Yet show one, which aired on 16 August, pulled in more than 10 million viewers, the highest ever for a launch night.

Frozen in aspic: Dannii Minogue

I confess to being a huge Girls Aloud fan and have a particular soft spot for Cheryl, who's had an incredibly difficult time of late.

After marrying Premiership footballer Ashley Cole in July 2006, in January this year a newspaper ran a story about his infidelity and the couple separated.

The marriage appears to be back on, but Cheryl is far from being the poor little wifey running back to her man. Last year, she appeared on Comic Relief Does The Apprentice and revealed herself to be smart, articulate and very funny.

Being named Sexiest Footballer's Wife in FHM's Bloke Awards in 2006 belies the fact she is one smart cookie.

She has an Elizabeth Taylor kind of glamour that today's young stars lack; yet she also has youth appeal, and Cowell's decision to bring her on-board The X Factor is yet another feather in his cap.

Cheryl's great advantage as a judge is that she is the only one to have been not only a contestant in a talent show, but a winning contestant.

Her ability to empathise with the contenders' experiences has added so much to this year's show. Her inability to judge Nikk Mager, whom she met during Popstars: The Rivals, was a moving moment in the first show. He made the last ten in Popstars, but where Cheryl went on to achieve international stardom, he was still singing in local clubs.

The sense of two initially parallel paths taking such disparate directions wasn't lost on Cheryl, whose sadness, and perhaps a little guilt, brought forth genuine tears. Thank heavens the girl was wearing waterproof mascara.

Cheryl comes from a working-class, single-parent background and has worked incredibly hard to make it to the top; she has true mettle and The X Factor is just the start of another turn in an already spectacular career.

A bit of advice though, Cheryl: don't let Dannii advise you on skincare, Simon on dentistry, or Louis on marriage. As for Ashley, who knows? Another 'Ex-Factor', I suspect. Who's calling the shots now?

The X Factor is on tonight, ITV1, 7pm.