Simon Cowell has apparently hinted he could poach Rita Ora from The Voice for his show, The X Factor.
The TV mogul said there was no reason why the Black Widow singer shouldn’t follow in the footsteps of Alesha Dixon, whom he “stole” from the judging panel of Strictly Come Dancing, according to the Daily Star.
“I saw Rita on The Voice and I thought she was very good,” he told the newspaper.
“When it comes to asking her over, you know, it’s fair game.”
He continued: “We were calling Alesha for two years to come and join one of our shows. I think they have to want to come over in the first place.”
Rita – who joined this year’s Voice coaching panel alongside Sir Tom Jones, Ricky Wilson and Will.i.am, replacing Kylie Minogue – has yet to commit to another series of the BBC singing show.
Simon, who has reprised his judging role on ITV’s Britain’s Got Talent, couldn’t resist taking a dig at The Voice – considered a rival to The X Factor.
Around 6.3 million viewers tuned in to watch the final on April 4, which saw Scotsman Stevie McCrorie being crowned the champion – lower than the past three years.
However, the audition stages pulled in a peak of more than 11 million viewers – a huge high since the series began in 2012.
“The Voice did OK this year. But it’s about where you are by the end of a series that’s important,” Simon said.
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