X Factor’s Gary Barlow has revealed how former judge Cheryl Cole offered him advice when starting work on the show.

Cheryl quit the show earlier this year to take up a role on the American series, but found herself out of an X Factor job altogether when axed from the US edition.

However, the Girls Aloud star was kind enough to pass on her experiences to new judge Gary before he took up the role.

Speaking with Chris Moyles on Radio 1, the Take That singer said: “Before I took the job on, I had a couple of phone conversations with Cheryl because I really wanted to know the ins and outs of the show.

“She said you need to ask for your category, you should be able to tell them which category you want. So the whole way through I was telling them I want the ‘X’, I want the ‘X’. Bt of course I didn’t get it, they gave me something else.”

“Cheryl was brilliant. She really told it me like the TV company hadn’t told it to me, like how long the audition days would be, the frustrating times, what was difficult and what wasn’t. She was really offering everything I needed to know to make a decision on whether I wanted to do it or not.”

He added that Cheryl appeared on “great form” when he saw her recently.

Do you think Gary, and fellow X Factor newbies Kelly and Tulisa, are doing a good job on the panel? Or are you missing Cheryl?

Keep it central!