Dannii Minogue and Brian Friedman are to be judges on the fourth series of The X Factor, it was confirmed today.

Pop singer Minogue and Friedman, a judge from Grease Is The Word, will join Simon Cowell and Sharon Osbourne on the hit ITV show.

The new line-up comes after an image re-vamp, which saw judge Louis Walsh dropped from the show in March and presenter Kate Thornton replaced by Dermot O'Leary.

It is hoped Australian-born Minogue, 35, and Friedman, 29, will help give the show a younger, sexier image.

Minogue is reportedly being paid £1 million for the deal.

The sister of pop star Kylie was recently a judge on Antipodean talent show Australia’s Got Talent.

Minogue spoke today of her admiration for X Factor: “The auditions are my favourite - the more they can’t sing, the funnier it is.

“I know that sounds terrible but we all love a bit of car-crash reality TV”.

Despite his reputation for caustic remarks, Minogue is not anxious about working with Cowell.

"I can't wait to be part of The X Factor team and getting up close and personal on a daily basis with Simon.

"But he'd better watch out because when it comes to mentoring the acts the gloves will definitely be off.

"Just because I'm the new girl I won't be a pushover - he'll soon see my competitive streak.

"I'm really excited to be working with Brian Friedman. He's hot and all my friends love watching him too.

"I've always been a huge fan of The X Factor. I can't wait to see what talent the UK has in store."

Friedman is a US Choreographer who worked with Britney Spears on hits Toxic and I'm a Slave 4 U.

He said: "I'm flattered to be offered such a coveted position.

"After the warm welcome the UK has already given me, I'm overjoyed to be extending my stay and work on this exciting new endeavour."

ITV Director of Entertainment and Comedy Paul Jackson said: "We're delighted we've managed to secure two new judges who between them have such a wealth of talent and experience.

"We're sure that they, with Simon and Sharon, and Dermot as host, will prove to be a winning combination and will take The X Factor to a whole new level."

Auditions for the next series of The X Factor will be held at the Emirates Stadium, Arsenal's home in north London, on June 9.

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