Mr. Nasty is back! Simon Cowell confirms his X Factor return... and wants to bring Cheryl Cole and Rita Ora with him

PUBLISHED: 10:26, 22 November 2013 | UPDATED: 17:41, 22 November 2013

The ink is yet to dry on a new contract that will see The X Factor remain on British TV screens for the next three years, and Simon Cowell has already admitted he'll be returning to the show at some point in the near future.

The 54-year-old mogul's Syco Entertainment confirmed the new deal with ITV earlier this week - despite an alarming drop in viewing figures. .

With the current judging line-up set for a major overhaul when the current series ends in December, he admits he could well reprise his judging role, two-years after leaving to focus on its American variant.

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Making a return: Simon Cowell has confirmed that he will return to The X Factor, two-years after walking away to concentrate on its American variant

‘I will at some point. I still miss that, I mean that show is my baby and that last year we did which was the One Direction year was the most fun I've had - it was fantastic,’ he told Metro.

‘When I look back at the clips now and remind myself about it, it was a really cool year that.’

Cowell was joined by Cheryl Cole when The X Factor USA launched, but the former Girls Aloud singer was promptly axed and replaced by Nicole Scherzinger after viewers struggled to understand her thick Geordie accent.

The door is open: According to Cowell Cheryl Cole (L) could make a dramatic return to the show, while Rita Ora (R), a former guest judge on the show, has potential

Her early departure initially strained their relationship, but Cowell says he and Cheryl have since kissed and made up .

‘Cheryl and I patched up our differences a long time ago,’ he said. ‘I saw her recently, we speak a lot on the phone and text each other, and I think both of us would like the idea of working together again.

‘She was a great judge. I mean, apart from being cute she's a great judge and she knows what she's talking about and, oh my God, she wears her heart on her sleeve!’

Old times: Cowell says Cheryl Cole, who he axed from the American show shortly after it launched, could make a sensational return to The X Factor

Cowell also sees potential in Rita Ora, a guest judge on the show in 2012.

‘I met with Rita at my house recently and I was really, really impressed with her and you just know she’s a future star,’ he said.

Viewing figures are understood to have dropped to as few as 3.6 million since Cowell’s departure in 2010, but despite the dip a new deal has been agreed that will see The X Factor remain on TV screens until 2016.

The mogul admits that the new deal will also afford him the time he needs to make significant changes to the format.

‘We've announced a new three-year deal in England,’ he said. 'I've got some ideas of how the show is going to evolve and that's the fun of producing these shows, you can't just make the same show that you did five years ago.'

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