Dannii: It would be 'devastating' if Cheryl won 'X Factor'

Dannii Minogue admits she'll be "devastated" if Cheryl Cole wins 'The X Factor' for a third year in a row.

The Girls Aloud singer has been victorious in the two series since she joined the show's judging panel - mentoring Alexandra Burke in 2008 and last year's winner Joe McElderry - and now Dannii says she and fellow judges Simon Cowell and Louis Walsh will have to work together in order to break her perfect record.

She said: "It would completely devastating if anyone won it three years in a row, wouldn't it? I think we've all got to have our own game-plan for that happening. If Cheryl gets close to it by the end of the year, we're going to have to band together for sure."

Despite making a pact with Simon and Louis, Dannii - who missed the audition rounds of this year's show after giving birth to son Ethan in July - insists all the judges will be competitive against each other because they all want one of their acts to win.

She said: "It's such a big part of the show whether you like it or not. We are fiercely competitive and I'm sure sparks will be flying again this year, but I try to focus on the contestants."