X Factor in crisis already as Dermot O’Leary and Simon Cowell fall ill before first auditions
Host Dermot has food poisoning and judge Simon has the flu
IT was meant to be a return to glory – with favourite judges SHARON OSBOURNE, LOUIS WALSH, NICOLE SCHERZINGER and SIMON COWELL coming back.
But The X Factor is in crisis before it’s even started as Simon and returning host DERMOT O’LEARY are touch and go for the first auditions in Leicester tomorrow.
Dermot has been struck down with severe food poisoning, while Simon is on bed rest as he struggles to recover from the flu.
I’ve learned Dermot skipped the Glamour Awards in London on Tuesday due to his illness, leaving wife Dee Kopang O’Leary to go alone.
And now there are fears he won’t recover in time for the first X Factor auditions tomorrow at Leicester City’s King Power stadium.
A show source revealed: “Dermot is a regular guest at the Glamour Awards so his absence proved how ill he is.
“He was supposed to be at the auditions but it’s touch and go whether he will be well enough.”
Dermot was axed from X Factor last year and replaced by CAROLINE FLACK and OLLY MURS.
He was reinstated in March after I exclusively revealed the pair had quit their hosting roles.
But Dermot is not the only person giving producers a headache.
Simon pulled out of his own Together For Short Lives charity ball last week due to illness, sending girlfriend Lauren Silverman along instead.
And he is yet to recover fully from his severe bout of flu.
The source added: “Simon is hopeful he can make it but is under the weather this week. He’s resting up.”
Fingers crossed he and Dermot get sorted in time for tomorrow. It’ll be Sharon and Louis bickering among themselves at this rate.
Daisy's affairs of the art
BREAK-UPS are always difficult – especially when you’re both in the public eye.
But model DAISY LOWE didn’t look like she was dwelling on the past while out on Tuesday night.
Just two weeks after she split from her rocker boyfriend of five months THOMAS COHEN — the widower of Peaches Geldof – she got all dressed up in a flowing white gown for the Royal Academy of Arts’ summer exhibition in London.
And she was joined by a long-haired mystery man, days after The Sun revealed she had been on a date with cheesy former Pop Idol singer DARIUS CAMPBELL.
He changed his name from Darius Danesh after being mocked relentlessly for his appearance on the Noughties talent show and is now a credible theatre actor.
But all I can think of when I hear his name is his cringey rendition of Hit Me Baby One More Time.
RELATED STORIES
Perrie's a Poynter sister
THERE may be trouble in paradise for ZAYN MALIK and GIGI HADID but his pop star ex isn’t having the same issues.
PERRIE EDWARDS, who has stayed single since splitting from Zayn last summer, took a shine to McFLY bassist DOUGIE POYNTER at the awards after-party.
A source said: “Perrie looked amazing and caught Dougie’s eye. The two of them stayed chatting into the early hours. It was clear they were loving each other’s company.”
Dougie has been single since he and ELLIE GOULDING broke up in February.
Perrie and Dougie weren’t the only stars making eyes at each other. GIRLS ALOUD star NICOLA ROBERTS was followed around by CONOR MAYNARD during the evening.
But at the end of the night she headed home alone and he snuck off with another woman.
If he spent as much time in the studio as he did chatting up girls, he might release some new music.
A movie on the Kards
KOURTNEY KARDASHIAN has confirmed my story that the reality TV family are in talks to make a movie.
She said: “We would love to start working on it. We have tons of footage and we talk about it all the time.”
Vroom mates
THE bromance continues for JUSTIN BIEBER and LEWIS HAMILTON.
Two weeks ago, the pop star was there to celebrate his pal’s win at the Monaco Grand Prix. Since then they have gone to the footie together and now jetted off on holiday.
Yesterday, F1 ace Lewis shared a snap online of him and Biebs on motorbikes in Colorado, along with the caption “Trailblazing”.
Earlier in the week they were out and about again, riding on pricey motorised surfboards.
Anyone would think they didn’t have proper jobs to do.
Bizarre at the Glamour Women of the Year after-party
