The X Factor 2016: Louis Walsh admits he didn’t want ‘lightweight’ Rita Ora back on the panel

Louis Walsh has admitted that he didn’t want Rita Ora back on The X Factor.

The show stalwart, who returns this year after a one-year break, thinks that the pop star was too young and too ‘lightweight’ for the panel.

In a new interview, Walsh says that he ‘pushed’ for Nicole Scherzinger to replace Ora, as did fellow judge Sharon Osbourne.

Speaking to Best magazine, Walsh said: “Sharon and I are old, but that means we’re far more experienced, unlike the young whippersnappers on last year's panel who didn't know a thing about talent.

“Sharon and I pushed for Nicole, we didn't want Rita. It turned into a fashion show. The panel didn't have the right credentials. They were lightweight.”

Nick Grimshaw, who also only lasted one year as a judge, recently joked that it was Ora’s comments that got the pair fired.

He referenced one of the quotes from Ora on last year’s show: "Your voice is really well baked, like a really good cooked ham.”

Grimshaw said: “Oh that was one of Rita Ora’s great comments on last year’s X Factor. It’s nonsense like that why we all got fired Rita!”

Even head honcho Simon Cowell recently admitted that he regretted his decision to shake things up last year.

“When we announced [this year’s] line-up, it was 95% positive. No one was saying it was a mistake and that was what we were getting last year,” he told The Mirror.

“I mean the minute we announced it, it was like f***, this doesn’t feel great, let’s see how it goes. But it was tough.”