'Simon is flirting with Cheryl instead of ice-queen Dannii,' reveals Louis Walsh

'He definitely flirted with her (Dannii Mingoue) throughout last year's series,' he told Heat Magazine. 'But he seems to have moved on. He's flirting with Cheryl this year...'

The panel: Simon Cowell, Cheryl Cole, Dannii Minogue and Louis Walsh

And that's not all - Louis reveals that he doubts whether Dannii should ever have been picked as a judge.

'I wasn't exactly chuffed when they hired Dannii Minogue, because, let's face it, she wasn't exactly a household name,' he said.

'She's not exactly Madonna or Kylie, is she? She hasn't had any hits. I don't know one of her songs. That's why I was surprised they hired her.'

Cheryl Cole is 'stealing the show', says Louis Walsh

Louis and Dannii have never been the best of friends, with the pop star telling interviewers Sharon and Louis made her uncomfortable when she joined the show.

Louis says Dannii is now on her own.

'I treat people how they treat me. And she wasn't that friendly to me last year. She was quite frosty - a bit of an ice queen. She only really wanted to talk to Simon.'

Louis with Cheryl and Simon: 'We're having really good fun'

In contrast Louis is impressed by new judge Cheryl, who found fame after winning a place in Girls Aloud on the show Popstars: The Rivals.

'She's good,' he told Heat. 'It totally makes sense for her to be on this show because she's done what they've done. She's walked into a normal talent show like this, just a normal girl from Newcastle, and she ended up in a group with 17 Top Ten hits, so she's living proof that you can do it.

'And she's musical. She's a great singer and dancer, and she's got great style. She's definitely stealing the show this year.'