X Factor 2015: Aston Merrygold Defends Cheryl: 'She Is Definitely Qualified For The Job' - EXCLUSIVE

Every year it seems as though no matter who is announced as an X Factor judge, they will be slagged off by a load of know-it-alls who claim that they aren’t the right people for the job.

Although this time around Radio 1 DJ Nick Grimshaw’s CV has taken a bashing from X Factor fans because he isn’t an artist or a manager, veteran judge Cheryl Fernandez Versini has seen her qualifications as a mentor take a bashing over the years, with X Factor alumni, Katie Waissel, being the most recent person to come forward to criticize her credentials.

Again.

Still, one person who has defended Chezza in the wake of the criticism is Aston Merrygold, who found fame on the show back in 2008, when he auditioned as one quarter of boy band JLS and quickly went on to take the world by storm.

Giving his two cents on the whole judging debacle when we caught up with the star following the debut of his long-awaited solo single ‘Get Stupid’, Aston told us: “I think the choices this year have been great. You have Nick Grimshaw, who is at the heart of radio right now, and hearing everything.

"Then you have a new judge, Rita Ora, who is a worldwide artist, and has success in film and music and everything else that comes with being a star, plus she’s definitely had the judging experience from The Voice.

"Then you have the two veterans to the judging game, it’s going to be a very interesting mix. I loved the judges we [JLS] had but this is definitely going to be a turn around for the show; I think it will feel like a new show and I will definitely be watching.”

Defending Mrs. Fernandez-Versini, the 27-year-old added that he thinks anybody who has been through the talent show process would be a perfectly brill judge for the panel, and actually, he’d quite fancy having a go at it as well if he’s honest.

He dished: “My phone is always on - of course I would love to be a judge on it. I would be able to be honest, I have done my time on the show and I have been through the process, which is why I think Cheryl is so qualified for the job.

"She’s been through the process with Popstars: The Rivals.”

YOU TELL 'EM, AST - don’t worry Chez, babes, we have your back.

Looking back at his own time on the show, and at the JLS fame that came with it, Aston also gave an interesting insight into why he thinks he, Oritse Williams, Marvin Humes, and JB Gill managed to cope so well and maintain their strong friendship as their band hit the big time.

He explained: “Being friends before definitely helped us. Not to say that it can’t work the other way round, but for us it was a bit like, 'Do I like you? Yeah I do, we can do this band thing’ and then the success came, instead of the success being here but asking 'Do I like you?’.

"We got to know eachother beforehand and we knew what pushed eachother’s buttons and what everyone else was like, so when the success came we could be there for eachother.

"Nobody was ever fragile, but if they were we could have helped them and if anybody ever became too boisterous we could tell them to tame it down.

"It was all about having respect for each other from day one and I’m so happy we went at it that way and created our own journey and destinies.”

We couldn’t have put it better ourselves.

Despite admitting to us that being on the road without his JLS boys can get a little bit lonesome these days, Aston also revealed that he was keen to do this whole 'solo artist’ malarkey completely on his own - only seeking advice from his former bandmates after he had finished his debut record.

He told us: “I was away a lot in America so everyone was here while I was recording it, I played them a few bits when I first went over there and asked their opinion and everything, but then I was like, 'Do you know what? I can’t keep looking for opinions, I just need to write the songs and believe in myself’.

"They [his former bandmates] had to look at my music in a weird way, but from the public’s eyes and perceive it like that, so that was a weird thing to hold back from them but I had to do it.

"I know what I like and what I want to do so I thought they can just give their opinions after - and thankfully they liked it.”

OF COURSE THEY BLOOMIN’ DID, ASTON, IT’S INCREDIBLE.

Aston’s debut single ‘Get Stupid’ is released on 24^th July. Pre-order on iTunes - http://po.st/iGetStupid