With dwindling ratings and errant alumni such as the charming James Arthur, The X Factor needs a bit of a zuzsh if it's to remain the UK's biggest form of Saturday night entertainment – the foremost way for people to laugh at deluded singers and cry at Coldplay-soundtracked sobstories.
And this zuzsh will come in the form of one bouffy-haired Cheryl Cole. After years of not being on the judging panel, the Geordie has returned with a contract rumoured to be worth £1.5m. Cheryl announced the news on Instagram, uploading a photo of her with her hand around Simon Cowell's taut neck, along with the caption 'GUESS WHAT!!.. I'm baaaacccckkkkk!!!! #iMayActuallyRingHisNec #XFactor2014'
Simon confirmed the news in his trademark blunt style: 'It's official. Cheryl is back. Be careful what you wish for!'
This is a very timely return for Cheryl – there are some boots that need filling on the show – Sharon Osbourne is leaving and it doesn't look as if Nicole Scherzinger is staying on for that much longer, and ratings have dwindled – the 2013 final was watched by 9.6m people. Compare that to 2008's 13.7m.
Cheryl's history with the show hasn't been great. Despite it propelling the ex-Girls Aloud star into 'national treasure' territory, she's only appeared as a guest judge once since she was unceremoniously ousted days into the broadcast of the US version of the show.
But after suing the production company over there for unpaid earnings and getting an undisclosed settlement fee back in December, it looks like she's willing to make amends with Simon. So Cheryl will be back to coo and cry over contestants, and people will return to watching the show.
And, even if you don't like* The X Factor*, it's quite good to know that Simon isn't entirely evil, and there is some hope for Cheryl to bounce back after being chewed up and spat out by the fame game. Shame the same can't be said of the contestants...
Follow Sophie on Twitter @sophwilkinson
This article originally appeared on The Debrief.