Rumor has it that X Factor producers brought back Sharon Osbourne as a judge to boost the pitiful ratings the show received last season. The show’s viewership dropped from an all time high average of 14 million viewers to just 9 million ilast season. It seems only natural to bring back Osbourne – Sharon to the rescue, right? The celebrity judge doesn’t see it like that. She was never too hung up on the ratings and is just there to have a good time, Osbourne claims.

Sharon Osbourne, X Factor Press Launch
It's not about the ratings, says Sharon.

‘You know it’s not my thing… the ratings… I don’t care. It’s whether the show is good and the show is great! And that’s what it’s all about,’ the music manager said at the press launch for the tenth series in London on Thursday, via the Metro.

Sharon Osbourne, X Factor Press Launch
As of this season, Shazza is the most expensive judge on the talent competition.

That is perfectly valid reasoning, if you don’t take into consideration the fact that Sharon is being paid a whopping amount of money to return. According to Entertainmentwise, it is thought that she will bag £1.5 million as an outright salary, and then a bonus £300,000 for transatlantic flights for her rather long commute from the US - bringing her total worth to around £1.8 million. That would make Shazza the highest paid judge on the panel, with Nicole Scherzinger and Gary Barlow each pocketing £1.5 million and Louis Walsh, who reportedly refused to push for a raise, staying at the not-so-measly price of £1 million. Clearly, there is some major re-budgeting going on behind the curtain of the X Factor and even if Osbourne doesn’t care about the ratings, it’s unlikely that the producers paid that much just because her bright red hair looks so good on camera.

Sharon Osbourne, London
Her hair does look quite nice though.