SIMON Cowell’s text message to Cheryl Cole was short and sweet. He said simply: “Friends again? X.”Her reply was equally brief: “You’ve got a nerve!… x.”Twenty minutes later the music mogul rang her and she accepted the call.
It was the ice-breaker that ended a frosty two months for the singer and her former mentor. They fell out after Cheryl, 28, was dropped from the US version of X Factor after barely a week. But their jokey midweek exchange ended the feud – and Simon sealed the peace deal with his texted kiss. It is understood he apologised and tried to explain his actions – and asked if they could once again be friends.
A source said yesterday: “Cheryl was thoroughly hurt and embarrassed by the whole US debacle. But she’s done a lot of thinking over the past few weeks, and has moved on. She texted Simon back with a message poking fun at his treatment of her. Simon was delighted. He called her shortly afterwards and pleaded for them to be pals again.”
The friend added: “Simon’s made no secret of the fact he’d love to work with Cheryl again and, as far as he is concerned, the door is always open to her. At the moment, there is a fifth guest judge role on UK X Factor and Simon is desperate for Cheryl to alternate with him in this role.
“She’d be a fantastic surprise addition to the live final stages of the show.”The thaw comes after Cheryl was released in May from her contract with US network Fox and replaced on the judging panel by Nicole Scherzinger.
Despite repeated attempts by Cowell to contact the furious Geordie, she refused to take his calls and declined to contact him in any way. She also declined to take up her old seat on the panel – alongside long-serving judge Louis Walsh, plus new additions Gary Barlow and Kelly Rowland.
Instead the job went to N-Dubz frontwoman Tulisa Contostavlos. Cheryl was said to be humiliated after network bosses blamed her “lack of chemistry” with the US panellists, LA Reid, Paula Abdul and Cowell.
Despite a huge fanfare announcing her role in the show she was sacked just three days into filming. Cheryl, currently working on a new solo album, is believed to have agreed to meet LA-based Cowell to discuss their future working relationship. Their reconciliation was predicted earlier this week by mutual pal and X Factor judge Louis, 58. He said: “I’d be amazed if they don’t make it up.
“Simon will make it his mission to become mates with her again.”An X Factor source added: “At the moment Cheryl’s focus is her music and they are still a long, long way from any kind of formal negotiations.”