An X Factor contestant replaced Louis Walsh as a judge during auditions

Yes, Simon Cowell scooped the judge back out of his seat when it turned out a contestant fancied a go at dishing out the 'you remind me of' catchphrases...

"One day this guy came in, he couldn’t sing but he wanted to be a judge on The X Factor, so what does Simon do? He gets me to leave and puts this guy in my chair," Walsh revealed.

But it sounds like it worked out OK and Walsh might want to consider more opportunities to put his feet up:

"He’s actually OK as a judge, he says everything I say..."

Not that Walsh is eager for a break just yet. In fact, he's not had a moment of doubt about being back yet.

"I haven’t been bored one second so far on this series, honestly, there’s something for everyone and we all get on so well. There’s just great chemistry between these judges. Chemistry that we’ve never had on the show before."

And anyway, Walsh has got an ace card: he can't be edited during the live shows.

"I love the live shows because Simon can’t edit us out. We can say whatever we want, Sharon and I normally do and he’s never that happy. That’s what makes the show good, it’s not all about Simon, it used to be, there’s four of us now."

The X Factor returns Saturday and Sunday at 8:00pm on ITV