Christine Bleakley shows she's got the Xtra Factor in her tight jeans as she battles Caroline Flack for new TV role

By Daily Mail Reporter

Who will it be? Christine Bleakley, pictured outside the May Fair Hotel yesterday, will battle Caroline Flack (right) for the job of Xtra Factor host


With her dark brown hair and shapely physique, it's no wonder Christine Bleakley's caught the attention of Simon Cowell.

The One Show host, 31, has reportedly been approached by the music mogul as a possible replacement for Holly Willoughby as the host of ITV2 show The Xtra Factor - a spin-off of The X Factor.

Frank Lampard's girlfriend, who was pictured showing off her figure in a pair of tight-fitting skinny jeans yesterday, is said to be going head-to-head with ITV pin-up Caroline Flack for the role.

Reports yesterday claimed The Whole 19 Yards co-host Flack, 29, is also in the running for the £100,000-a-series job hosting the ITV2 show which it returns in September.

Friends of Flack told The Sun she had met Cowell during a recent trip to Los Angeles and he was impressed with her presenting CV.

But ITV bosses are also hoping to lure Bleakley away from her £100,000-a-year salary at the BBC, just like they did with her former One Show co-host Adrian Chiles, who is joining GMTV.

Cowell's fellow Britain's Got Talent judge Amanda Holden, who is friends with Bleakley, has encouraged the Northern Irish star to defect to ITV.



In demand: Bleakley was chatting on her mobile outside the May Fair Hotel as she lunched with friends


She said: 'She’s fantastic! I don’t blame ITV for trying to get hold of her because she’s brilliant.’

'I think the BBC should try to keep hold of her, but The Xtra Factor is an amazing gig.’

Willoughby took over from presenter pal Fearne Cotton as the host of The Xtra Factor in 2008 and has seen its ratings rise to an average of 1.04million a week.

The Daily Mail exclusively revealed in October how Willoughby planned to quit The Xtra Factor because it clashed with her new role on This Morning.

Willoughby ended up working nearly every day on both The Xtra Factor and This Morning last autumn, leaving her little time to spend with her baby son Harry, who turned one on Tuesday.


source: dailymail