New X Factor judge Mel B has promised to bring some "honesty" to the hit talent show.
The straight-talking former Spice Girl has taken the final spot on the new judging panel alongside Simon Cowell, Louis Walsh and Cheryl Cole.
Mel, who appeared as a guest judge on the ITV show in 2012, said she was "so excited" to be coming back and is reported to have signed a deal worth £1 million.
She said:"I've always thought honesty is the best policy when being a judge and that's what I'm going to bring more of this year - whether it's spotting an incredible singer, giving someone a reality check or debating with Simon over who's got it wrong. Now I can't wait to get started and find some amazing talent."
The 39-year-old, who has also appeared on America's Got Talent and Australian X Factor, is currently in Sydney working as a judge on talent show The Voice Kids.
Cowell said he was "thrilled" by the appointment, saying: "I thought she was fantastic as a guest judge a couple of years ago. She is feisty, opinionated and, I believe, will be a great mentor."
Filming on the new series starts next week with auditions in Manchester, London, Newcastle and Edinburgh.
Comments & Moderation
Readers’ comments: You are personally liable for the content of any comments you upload to this website, so please act responsibly. We do not pre-moderate or monitor readers’ comments appearing on our websites, but we do post-moderate in response to complaints we receive or otherwise when a potential problem comes to our attention. You can make a complaint by using the ‘report this post’ link . We may then apply our discretion under the user terms to amend or delete comments.
Post moderation is undertaken full-time 9am-6pm on weekdays, and on a part-time basis outwith those hours.
Read the rules hereComments are closed on this article