Olly Murs 'not on speaking terms' with Simon Cowell after turning down 'The X Factor'

Olly Murs has revealed that he’s ‘not on speaking terms’ with Simon Cowell after he turned down a spot on the X Factor judging panel.

It was reported over the summer that Cowell had courted the singer with a £3 million contract to jump from the BBC’s The Voice to his ITV talent show rival.

But instead, Murs decided to stay on as a coach on The Voice instead.

“I have so much respect for Simon and it was difficult to tell him No – I’m not sure we’re on talking terms,” he told The Daily Mirror.

“I felt I had such a great time on The Voice, why would I leave after one year? I felt I did an incredible job last year and I’m very proud of that.”

He was said to have received a pay rise from the BBC, and the show’s ratings also increased.

“It was a good move. I said to Simon, ‘It’s not a no for ever,’” he went on, adding: “If we can beat The X Factor viewing figures, that would be amazing.”

Cowell chose Robbie Williams for the panel instead, but the show recorded its lowest launch ratings in 14 years last month.

5.7 million people watched the first episode of the latest series, down 500,000 from last year.

Murs made his name on The X Factor, coming second to Joe McElderry in the sixth series of the show in 2009.

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