Leona Lewis is reportedly reuniting with musical mentor Simon Cowell for one episode of the upcoming spin-off series, The X Factor: The Band.
The Bleeding Love hitmaker won the 2006 series of the British TV talent contest and will make her big return in one episode of the new show, which debuts on TV screens 9 December.
Alongside judges Simon Cowell and Nicole Scherzinger, Leona will help select contestants as they go forward for the chance to win a record deal with Simon’s label, Syco.
A source told Britain’s The Sun newspaper: “Simon appreciates Leona is a huge part of The X Factor, so getting her onboard for his new show brings a sense of continuation.
“She’ll use her industry knowledge and eye for talent to find stars for the girl and boybands.”
The Run singer, who wed beau Dennis Jauch in July, recently told Britain’s Hello! magazine she and Simon have remained close over the 13 years since her talent show win and spent time together over the summer.
“Simon is a very good friend of mine, I love him. We’ve been hanging out a lot this year and he has always been so supportive,” she gushed.
Leona had previously been on Simon’s wish list of contestants for his planned The X Factor: All Stars, which he axed in favor of the new format, after former protege’s Little Mix announced a similar concept with their upcoming BBC show, Little Mix: The Search.