It's been claimed that Cheryl may have had other reasons for leaving The X Factor other than her music.
Officially, Cheryl stepped down from behind the judges' desk this year to focus on her new album.
"I have had such an amazing experience being a judge on The X Factor," Cheryl said in a statement last week. "I have learnt so much and enjoyed nurturing talent but I've missed making music and am excited to be recording again.
"I want to thank everybody I have worked with along the way, especially Simon who I love to bits. I hope the show continues to produce stars and I wish them all the best."
However it's now been claimed that there may be more personal reasons behind Cheryl's exit.
Closer magazine reports that Cheryl could be hoping to start a family with boyfriend Liam Payne, even if they've only been dating for 5 months now.
The couple have recently been living together in LA before Cheryl returned to London to work on her upcoming record.
A source told the publication this week: “Cheryl wants to do what makes her happy. Her focus is on the new album, Liam and having a baby.”
The source added: “Things are so different with Liam compared to JB [...] She’s the happiest she’s been in years.”
Simon Cowell revealed at the weekend that he was expecting Cheryl to leave the show after seeing her with Liam.
"I had a feeling she would leave. She is at a certain place in her life at the moment," he told the Daily Mirror newspaper. “I saw her and Liam a couple of weeks ago and they looked really happy."
As yet there's been no word on Cheryl's replacement for The X Factor with rumours linking Sharon Osbourne, Nicole Scherzinger and Meghan Trainor.