'Mad' and 'outrageous' Sharon Osbourne makes X Factor comeback

Sharon Osbourne has returned to the X Factor and her fellow judges Gary Barlow, Louis Walsh and Nicole Scherzinger are embracing the rock royalty's "outrageous" and "unpredictable" behaviour.

"Every day it's mad Sharon," said Gary, speaking at an X Factor event. "She's unpredictable so you can't plan for anything. It's great to have her back — we have the queen with us this year and it does feel like we're in the room with royalty."

Fellow judge and pop singer Nicole, who entertained the public with quirky catchphrases on last year's
show, seems to have competition when it comes to stealing the spotlight.

"I don't know if I'm going to top my behaviour this year," said Nicole. "I'm just going to be myself. Mrs O's pretty outrageous — she brings more outrage than me. She's fun to have around."

One of the highlights for Sharon is having her sidekick music manager Louis back at her side. The duo, who are known for ganging up on the other judges, seem to be back to their old ways.

"I'm ecstatic to be reunited with my little Lou Lou," said Sharon.

"They're already ganging up on me and Nicole," said Gary. "It's artists versus managers."

When asked whether the show had improved since the last time she was on the panel in 2008, Sharon joked, "Well, of course, because I'm back."

It seems the rock queen didn't need much convincing to make her comeback, and had a "two-second" phone call with Simon Cowell.

"I needed very little persuasion," said Sharon. "The call lasted about two seconds, and it was 'yes'. We went out for dinner and spent time talking about it, and Simon was just so fantastic with me. What more can I say?"

Sharon has 30 years of experience in the music industry and has managed several artists including her husband rock legend husband Ozzy Osbourne.

"People think Sharon just knows rock, but she knows all kinds of music," said Louis. "She knows entertainment and she knows showbusiness. She is Mrs Showbusiness."