X Factor boss Simon Cowell has thanked judges Nicole Scherzinger and Paula Abdul and host Steve Jones after they were axed from the show.

The show boss paid tribute to the trio after they were dropped from the series and wished them success in their careers - but he also announced plans to work with Paula on another project in the ''near future'.'

''I want to say a massive thank you to Paula, Nicole and Steve for being part of The X Factor last year. We had a lot of fun making the show together and importantly, we found some real talent and stars. 'You do develop friendships with the people you work with and Paula, in particular, is a very close friend and I expect to be working with her on another project in the near future. 'I'm sure all three are going to have massive success in what they do next, but now is the time to thank them all for everything they did last year," Cowell said in a statement.

Following Simon's statement, Nicole took to her Twitter account to confirm she will not be returning to the US version of the show and she now plans to create ''great music'' in 2012: ''I wanted to let you know directly from me that it's true I won't be returning to The X Factor. Looking forward to an exciting year ahead and making great music and more! I'm grateful for the love you always give me.''

Yesterday, Paula confirmed she is leaving the show and Steve Jones expressed his disappointment at being given the chop from the next series. "I wont be hosting next seasons XFactor which is a shame but I cant complain as I've had a great time. Good luck to everyone on the show. (sic)" he wrote on Twitter.

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