Wednesday, 20 August 2008

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Dermot O'Leary: Cheryl Cole's just like Sharon Osbourne

The X Factor host approves of the new judge

Dermot O'Leary took over as host of The X Factor from Kate Thornton

Dermot O'Leary thinks Cheryl Cole has managed to fill the void left by Sharon Osbourne on The X Factor.

The Girls Aloud star joined the ITV show when Sharon quit earlier this year.

'Cheryl Cole is almost a like-for-like replacement,' he says.

'Sharon has that incredible maternal instinct and she's an incredibly ballsy lady, but very much her own woman.

'Cheryl brings all that. There's an incredible warmth she exudes when people come through the door, because she's been there, done it.'

But unlike her predecessor, Chezza, 24, doesn't clash with Dannii Minogue, 36.

'There's always going to be competition and I don't think that's a bad thing,' says Dermot, 35.

'But any talk of them shooting daggers at each other is all balls.'