Simon Cowell seems ready to move on from the shake-up of the US X Factor judging panel which saw Cheryl Cole replaced by Nicole Scherzinger.

At the latest auditions in New Jersey, Mr Cowell said they should now be focusing on the real stars of the show – the contestants.

“It wasn’t really such a big deal as everybody thought ... Truth is you’ve got to move on. It’s about the contestants. They’ve got no interest in us bickering,” Mr Cowell said.

Earlier in the week, Fox and producers announced Ms Cole was out and Ms Scherzinger, who was originally signed on to co-host the show, would slide over to the judges table alongside Mr Cowell, Paula Abdul and LA Reid.

Mr Cowell said the show will not re-tape episodes already filmed that feature Ms Cole.

“Show it. I mean it’s reality TV. There’s no point in lying about it,” he said. “It is what it is.”

Mr Cowell said it was a no brainer to slide Ms Scherzinger over to the judges’ table when the position opened up. “I’ve worked with Nicole before. I think she would have killed me if I had given the job to someone else.”

Mr Cowell left American Idol in May of 2010 after its ninth season. He said the absence from US TV has been good.

“I realised how much I missed working here in America. I really, really love making shows here,” he said. But “the gap’s been good for me because I appreciate it more now”.