Sharon Osbourne's 'tip off' to Louis Walsh after brutal X Factor sacking

07 March 2024 , 11:02

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Louis and Sharon became good friends while on the X Factor (Image: Tom Dymond/Thames/REX/Shutterstock)

Although Louis Walsh was left reeling after he was given the boot from the X Factor, behind-the-scenes information about his replacement put a smile back on his face.

During the launch show of ITV ’s Celebrity Big Brother, Louis was given the job of being Sharon Osbourne’s advisor and was tasked with helping her decide which three other housemates would be put at risk of being put up for public nomination and potentially evicted from the reality show first.

It was something of a role reversal for the pair - who became good friends while working on the X Factor - because Sharon once acted as his advisor. Louis joined the panel in 2004 right at the start of the singing talent show. He and Sharon were well known for their naughty antics on the show and for being outrageously outspoken, with the acts and each other.

But in 2007, Simon Cowell dramatically sacked Louis and replaced him on the judging panel of the fourth series with US dancer and choreographer Brian Friedman and also brought Australian singer Dannii Minogue in to be the fourth judge. Although Louis didn’t miss out financially as he was still being paid, it was a huge kick in the teeth.

But Mrs O gave her partner in crime Louis a tip off from inside the show that made things a lot easier for him. She alerted him to the fact he could be brought back on the panel soon because things weren’t working out with one of the new judges.

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Sharon gave Louis a tip off after his sacking (Dymond/Thames/Syco/REX/Shutterstock)

Apparently Brian was struggling to “understand” English and Irish culture and Simon decided Louis should be shipped back in. In December last year, the Westlife and Boyzone manager told the Irish Mirror how it was one of his finest achievements: "My proudest moment on the show was getting the job in the first place... closely followed by Simon having to bring me back after sacking me," he said.

"It's funny, when he got rid of me, I had a contract in place already, so I knew I was going to get paid, but then Sharon tipped me off that things weren't working, and that they were going to bring me back. I think they'd just done a couple of shows with Brian [Friedman], who was a great choreographer. But he just didn't understand the English and Irish culture.

"There was no crawling back from Simon, or anything like that... he just wanted what was best for the show, and that's why he brought me back."

Years after X Factor finished, Sharon and Louis are back on screen again in the CBB house and together they chose the three housemates at risk, with Mrs O eventually opting to put Kate Middelton’s uncle Gary Goldsmith up for the public vote.

What do you think of Sharon and Louis together on CBB? Let us know in the comments below.

Beth Hardie