Olly Murs agreed to host ‘The X Factor’ because he needed something to "excite" him.
The ‘Dance With Me Tonight’ hitmaker has confessed he was nervous to take on the role alongside Caroline Flack on the upcoming series of the ITV show but could never have given up such an exciting opportunity.
Olly – who previously hosted ITV2’s spin-off show ‘The Xtra Factor’ – said: "I would say it’s a learning zone – but me and Caroline did it for two years of course on ‘The Xtra Factor’ and my role always with Caroline was that, ‘Caroline you’re the presenter, and I’m next to you having a laugh, having a giggle and just having a good time’. Over the years I’ve just got more experience and [am] enjoying it. And then when the call came to do ‘The X Factor’, it was a bit like, ‘Woah, this is a big one!’ But I love it. I needed something to kind of excite me, and this was a really exciting thing to do."
The 31-year-old singer – who shot to fame after coming second on the competition in 2009 – added he would have had to turn down a judging role had he been asked to join the panel by show boss Simon Cowell as he wouldn’t have been able to "shatter someone’s dream" by turning them down.
He explained: "The idea of being a judge wasn’t really something that I wanted to do … For me it’s better to be next to Caroline and backstage giving them the confidence. I’m a hugger and a kisser and to give them that encouragement to hopefully go out and smash it. I’m just going to be there for the contestants and battle with the judges as much as I can because if I believe that this contestant did a great performance on Saturday night, I’m going to tell the judges if they are wrong!"
Olly Murs: X Factor excites me
