Gary Barlow says it is "too early" to think about staying on as X Factor judge for another year

Gary Barlow says it is "too early" to think about staying on as X Factor judge for another year

Gary Barlow has batted away questions about his X Factor future, insisting that it is “too early” to speculate about his involvement in the show beyond the upcoming season.

It had been expected that the Take That star would reveal yesterday whether he would be staying on as a judge for a fourth series .

However, the 42-year-old refused to be drawn on the issue at an auditions round at Wembley Arena.

"It's far too early to think about next year," he said. "It's all about this year."

The Take That star was forced to denied reports in November that he was about to quit ahead of a possible return by Simon Cowell.

A source said at the time that he felt he had been given the least desirable category - the Overs - and he believed the show had lo st its credibility.

He reportedly only put pen to paper on the tenth series after asking bosses to make the show “special”.

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Barlow also joked to Digital Spy that Sharon Osbourne, returning to the judging panel, has settled back into the swing of things pretty quickly.

"She's completely taken my head judge [role]," he said.

"She's taken my head judge mug and smashed it.

"It's great to have her back. We've got the Queen with us this year and it does feel like we're in the room with royalty."