Former X Factor judge set to take on old boss Simon Cowell in rival Netflix talent show

NICOLE SCHERZINGER is set to take on her former X Factor boss Simon Cowell in a rival Netflix talent show.

The ex-Pussycat Dolls singer will be a judge on big new music competition Building The Band, with Backstreet Boys star AJ McLean as host.

The reality TV series will task 50 hopefuls with collaborating to form a group — without ever being face to face.

It comes as Simon is searching for a new boyband in his own documentary The Midas Touch which is being made for the streaming giant.

But uptake for auditions has reportedly been lacklustre, with the first two dates cancelled.

A telly insider tells me: “Nicole is a huge coup for Netflix as she has been on so many talent shows in the UK and the US in the past, so is synonymous with the genre. It shows how serious bosses at the streamer are about competing with the major channels.

“Nicole is the whole package. With her experience in the industry, she also brings personality, warmth and glamour. She’s perfect.”

My source added: “Casting AJ is a shrewd move as he has a massive fanbase and is really quirky on screen.”

Simon and Nicole appeared together on the X Factor UK judging panel in 2016 and 2017, and in X Factor: Celebrity in 2019, where Nicole met ex-rugby star beau Thom Evans.

She stayed pals with Simon, who supported her when she starred in West End musical Sunset Boulevard earlier this year.

The music mogul surprised the industry when he announced his new boyband search, admitting he was naive when he signed One Direction and regrets not keeping ownership of their name.

He added: “If one of the band members, for whatever reason, say they don’t want to tour, it can stop the others [from] touring.

“So if it was me who owned the name, it wouldn’t be a problem.

“I can be very naive at times, and that was me being very, very naive.

“So, next time, that will be part of the deal. I have to own the name.

“They can still make most of the money, but I need to own the name.”

So that’s the name of the game, Simon . . . 

Lucky escape for Paloma

PALOMA FAITH has told of her shocking sex assault hell, revealing she repeatedly “escaped rape”.

The singer also confessed to being “in situations where I was date rape drugged” and admitted she once had to fight off a sex attacker in a phone box.

She said: “I was curb crawled by older men, I was groped and escaped rape a few times.”

Opening up the terrifying experience in her book MILF: Motherhood, Identity, Love and F*ckery the Only Love Can Hurt Like This hitmaker wrote: “One day, in my early twenties, I was coming back late at night from a cabaret job I was doing.

“I went into a phone box, very retro, to call my mother, who was always worrying about my safety, and a man kicked the door of the phone box in so I would be trapped and tried to get in it with me. He was gripping my chest and groin and telling me to shhh but luckily I had my wits about me, as well as a small wheelie suitcase.

“I picked it up and smashed him round the head with it and ran to a local 24/7 shop where I knew the staff, who helped me.”

Mum-of-two Paloma, who split from hubby Leyman Lahcine in 2022, said: “Later in life, I was twice in situations where I was date rape drugged – luckily they didn’t manage to follow through with it.

“On one occasion because the people I was with were looking out for me and the other . . . I still to this day am not sure what happened.

“I woke up naked in someone’s bed though. I don’t know what they did with my body. Dark times.”

JUST hours ahead of his headline set at BST Hyde Park last night, footie fan Robbie Williams still wanted watch England’s Euros quarter final.

I can reveal that the popstar requested a big TV in his rider so he could watch the 5pm kick off in his dressing room before his performance started at 8.20pm.

Organisers ensured he had healthy bites on offer with a nutritional menu of chicken stew with olives, blackened fish with mango and pineapple salsa and  pea and halloumi fritters.

Robbie, who has told in the past to being on an Ozempic-like medication to help him lose weight, avoided calorific desserts and plumped for a fruit platter instead.

He’ll have No Regrets next time he steps on the scales.

Sizzling Rita’s pout of control

RITA ORA showed off her cheeky side in tiny metallic green hot pants and a cut-out bra as she headlined Saga festival in Bucharest, Romania.

The singer stripped off her crop top, which was covered in images of sexy lips, as she pranced around the stage in front of a crowd of 150,000 revellers on Friday night.

Rita has a busy summer of performances all over Europe this summer, with dates in Hungary, Lithuania and Slovakia.

Last week she watched her pals Girls Aloud perform at the O2 Shepherd’s Bush Empire with her movie director hubby Taika Waititi, and shed a tear during a tribute to late band member Sarah Harding.

I’m glad to see she’s grabbing life by the horns.

Kem on board for job

A WEEKEND away with his mates has helped Kem Cetinay land his dream job.

The 2017 Love Island winner is the new radio host for The Capital Weekender every Friday from 7-10pm.

He tells me: “Recently I’ve started to write down what I’m aiming for on a vision board. It can really work.

“I took my mates on a male retreat that my therapist was hosting, so I surprised the boys with it one weekend.

“It was amazing, full of brotherhood and bonding. We were writing down things we wanted to manifest for the next year and things we wanted to let go off.”

Kem also recalled his wildest party, revealing: “I had a housewarming called Kem-fest.

“Chris Hughes, my Love Island mate, was there and all the drinks were named after me.

“It was brilliant. But as I’ve gotten older I’m more worried about messing up my gaff so I don’t throw house parties any more.”

I don’t blame you.

Cee’s vid is an ice surprise

WHEN Ice Spice and Central Cee were snapped together last week many people thought they were dating.

But I can reveal that the pair have actually recorded a track together.

The rappers united in London last week to film a music video with plans for a general release.

Gushing about American rapper Ice, London-born hitmaker Cee previously said: “She reminds me of me a bit. She’s cool.

“Humble, down-to-earth, don’t really care too much about the shiny stuff.

“You can hear that in the music, and see that in the moves that she makes, and I appreciate that because some people take it for granted or they don’t take the opportunity and run with it – but she’s really running with it right now.”

It’s a match made in music heaven.

Stay at George’s … for £550 a night

GEORGE MICHAEL fans can feel closer to the late Club Tropicana singer – by staying at his luxury pool house.

The one-bedroom pad, connected to the property in Goring-on-Thames in South Oxfordshire where the WHAM! legend lived and died, is now available to rent on Airbnb for £550 a night.

It boasts a swimming pool and beautiful gardens next to a tenth-century church.

George, who passed away on Christmas Day 2016, once told US chat show host Oprah Winfrey the pool house was “wonderful”.

An insider said: “It’s been very popular with fans of the singer who are grateful of the opportunity to experience George’s home first hand.”

But who will wake guests up before they go-go?

NOEL GALLAGHER has branded Coldplay “evangelical” for asking fans to give money to charity.

He blasted: “It’s too much. They say, ‘Donate all your f***ing earnings to the cause.’ Stop f***ing yapping about it.”

Speaking on his podcast with pal Matt Morgan, he revealed he went to Wimbledon for the first time but didn’t drink, adding: “After Glasto, the thought of it made me want to throw up.”

HIS music has appeared on several soundtracks over the years, but Ed Sheeran has new career ambitions.

The singer would love to feature in a children’s film – and even has designs on the Paddington Bear franchise.

Dad-of-two Ed said: “I would love to do a kids’ movie now I have children – an animation with music. I don’t know if it’s Paddington Bear or something else.” 

Sounds paw-some!

HAVING seen indie rockers Kings of Leon several times 15 years ago in their Sex On Fire heyday, I wondered how the Nashville quartet had held up.

Supported by the ever-jovial Vaccines and Scottish singer Paolo Nutini, the crowd were nicely warmed up by the time frontman Caleb Followill bounded on stage.

Opening with Ballerina Radio, the cheers confirmed that the tracks on the band’s latest album Can We Please Have Fun are going down well.

They delivered a steady stream of hits including On Call, Molly’s Chambers, Use Somebody and the anthem Sex On Fire.

It was definitely worth missing the football for.