London, June 29: If you thought X-Factor’s last season was a bit of a drag, then get ready for the new one, which will offer everything from bitching to backstabbing.

According to reports, Cheryl Cole’s entry as the reality show’s new judge has sparked bickering on the set.

Dannii Minogue - 12 years Cheryl`s senior - has been walking round with a face like thunder.

A few days before this year`s auditions were due to start, judge Sharon Osbourne quit after demanding a 1.25million pounds pay rise.

The show’s fellow judge Simon Cowell immediately hired ‘Girls Aloud’ singer Cheryl to fill the gap.

On the surface, all was sweetness and light. But just a fortnight later, the fun seems to have run out.

"Dannii walked into Arsenal`s Emirates stadium for the auditions and you could tell she`d put in a lot of work into looking good. She knows there`s a younger, more successful, more attractive kid on the block and they will both be fighting for attention,” the Mirror quoted a source, as saying.

"Dannii`s face seems a lot tighter than last year and everyone is gossiping that she`s had a bit of work done.

"She`s 36 and Cheryl is just 24 and she`s desperate not to be cast as the older Sharon Osbourne type - she wants to be Cheryl`s equal. But it isn`t working out like that.

"She`s not happy that Cheryl is on £800,000, just £100,000 less than her. She feels there should be a bigger gap and, with Sharon gone, she should be earning nearer her £1.5m pay packet,” the source added.

And Cheryl has been a revelation in front of the camera.

"She has a great empathy for those auditioning because she has been there herself. She has had a tough time and knows what it is like to go throught his process. Simon is delighted with how things have gone,” the source added.

ANI