The X Factor's new judge Rita Ora has revealed her strong friendship with Nick Grimshaw persuaded her to join the show.

The Poison singer, who left The Voice to join Grimshaw for the 12th series of the ITV singing competition, said having her "best friend" on the panel made her decision a no-brainer.

"It was a definite bump up in my decision because he's one of my best friends, so for me, having a best friend on the panel next to me definitely made me think," she said.

"I had a few chats with Grimmy about it, explained to him what I was worried or excited about and there were more pros than cons."

Ora, 24, admitted dealing with the BBC Radio 1 DJ's constant teasing has yet to get on her nerves.

"He does it all the time. I think he does it because he finds it so funny and entertaining. He does it even when we're at home and stuff, he makes me do things and then he just laughs," she explained.

"I don't get mad, I just feel like the trust is not happening any more!"

The singer continued: "The one thing Grimmy and I said to each other is that we didn't want to change how we are normally with each other just because we're on TV. I was like, 'OK, great', because I didn't want it to get weird. And it didn't, it actually got even better.

"Having Grimmy makes me feel that I can say things that I usually say in our private life, and Grimmy having me makes him feel like he can say the jokes he thinks other people might not get because he knows I'll get them. We balance each other out."

She joked that the pair and Cheryl Fernandez-Versini are starting to gang up against Simon Cowell, saying: "I think Cheryl's slowly coming on to our side, though. Simon's just being left alone in the corner!"

Ora also revealed how she flirts with the male contestants to put them at ease.

"The thing is, even when I am at home, I really play on the flirty thing. I do it as a joke and I think some people think it's serious," she explained.

"I just do it because it makes them feel uncomfortable. For me, it's like if you can handle me flirting then you can handle being on The X Factor. I'm very intense and I am very forward, it's very 'get to the point' with me.

"That's a minor thing in this industry, trust me. So I just do it for some fun, it takes the pressure off. Once I start instigating it, they get more comfortable. My aim is to get them comfortable, to get the pressure off them, if I can, and then hopefully they will do a better audition."

The new series of The X Factor begins on Saturday August 29 on ITV1.