Dannii Minogue was publicly humiliated again after Simon Cowell refused to confirm that she would return to The X Factor as a judge on the next series.

At a press conference ahead of Saturday's finale, Dannii was asked if she would return as a judge next year, to which she replied: "I don't know, ask Simon."

Simon then looked at the ceiling and, in an attempt not to answer the question, said: "Has anyone looked at the ceiling?"

Throughout this series, Dannii has endured a barrage of press rumours that she is about to be axed from the show and been reduced to tears by Louis Walsh live on air.

Sources on the show say that Dannii fears she will be replaced by a younger model, just as Sharon Osbourne was replaced by Cheryl Cole, who, according to Cowell, is now the most popular person on TV.

Yesterday Simon said: "We are going to sit down with everyone in January and that's when we will draw up contracts.

"If you had asked me this same thing last year about Sharon Osbourne I would have said I'm assuming it's going to be the same panel.

"But then you sit down with the lawyers and the agents and the managers get involved, blah blah blah, so you have got to keep an open mind."