Nicole Scherzinger doesn't believe she's mentoring the winning contestant on this year's 'X Factor'.

Nicole Scherzinger

Nicole Scherzinger

The former Pussycat Dolls singer - who previously guided James Arthur and Matt Terry to victory - is "very competitive" but admits she is sceptical about the chances of one of her hopefuls being crowned the winner this year.

She said: "I'm always very competitive. I put a million per cent into everything I do, but two years in a row? I don't know about that.

"Plus I don't even know who I am taking to the live shows [yet]."

The 39-year-old singer has taken charge of the Over 25s this year, but is "upset" that she insisted on the category as she's already backing someone from one of the other groups to win.

She told HELLO! magazine: "It's interesting because I have a feeling about somebody who is going to win - but they're not in my category.

"I'm upset because [the producers] were going to give me a category and I said, 'No, I want this one instead'. I got what I wanted but I really should have had what they were going to give me.

"But that's OK. It will work out. Everything happens for a reason."

Nicole is delighted to be back working on the show with Simon Cowell, Louis Walsh and Sharon Osbourne, and presenter Dermot O'Leary.

She said: "It's like family. You don't talk, then when you see each other it's like you were with each other all along. We love each other, we really do. We have dinners together, we hang out. We just sit and chat all day during the auditions."