Louis Walsh rules out returning for X Factor reboot as he shares health woes

| Senior TV Reporter Published September 29, 2026 8:13am Updated September 29, 2026 8:13am ‘I had anxiety problems and I had to get the medics’ (Picture: James Veysey/Shutterstock) Louis Walsh has said he won’t be returning to the rumoured X Factor reboot, after suffering a suspected heart attack while filming Celebrity Big Brother. The 74-year-old joined the ITV reality show in 2024, quite memorably appearing alongside his fellow X Factor judge of yore, Sharon Osbourne. Also joined by the likes of Strictly Come Dancing’s Nikita Kuzmin and Love Island winner Ekin-Su Cülcüloğlu, the X Factor couple were at the centre of plenty of jaw-dropping discussions in the House. But one thing that never made it to air was what Walsh has now termed a ‘minor heart attack’, which his doctor suspects he might have suffered while on the revived celeb show. Speaking on the 2 Johnnies podcast, Walsh said of his experience in the House: ‘I thought it was going to be fun. It wasn’t fun. ‘I had anxiety problems and I had to get the medics. My doctor thinks I had a minor heart attack. They let me out a few times to have a cup of tea.’ Louis Walsh went into the Celebrity Big Brother house in 2024, alongside his fellow former judge Sharon Osbourne (Picture: Shutterstock for Big Brother) Walsh has said he is ‘probably too old’ for The X Factor reboot (Picture: Ken McKay/REX/Shutterstock) Walsh continued: ‘I did it for the money but I shouldn’t have. Sharon was not in a good place either. We were television hookers.’ The former Westlife boss went on to rule himself out of the X Factor reboot, which recently stoked speculation of its imminent return with a Facebook page update. Referring to show boss Simon Cowell, Walsh continued: ‘I won’t be doing it as I am probably too old. The money is good, they pay well but I don’t think he will ask me. ‘I don’t know who they would get. Sharon and Nicole Scherzinger would be good. I was so nervous being on that show as Simon is a big personality and so is Sharon. ‘I once had to judge Kelly Osbourne on Radio 1 and said when she sang Papa Don’t Preach it was absolute s***e. She was not happy. She put me in my place. But I still stand by it, it was a s**t record.’ Metro's take on the rumoured X Factor reboot Columnist Adam Miller shares his opinion… But as much as I’m desperate to relive the heyday years of rounding up friends every single Saturday and Sunday night to watch X Factor, those days are long gone and they’re never coming back. When the show eventually died, it was a long overdue mercy killing. Ratings had fallen off a cliff, and I’d bet you’ve never heard of the final two winners, Rak-Su and Dalton Harris. A lucrative record deal won in front of millions isn’t enough to guarantee success. It wasn’t by the end of The X Factor and it certainly isn’t now. If ITV want to salvage their weekend ratings it needs to be much more innovative than looking back at the past at a show that should have retired long before it did. ‘I was so nervous being on that show as Simon is a big personality and so is Sharon,’ Walsh said of his time on X Factor (Picture: James Veysey/Shutterstock) It was reported earlier this month that a reboot of the ITV talent show – which discovered the likes of One Direction, Little Mix and Leona Lewis – has been in the works since December, with those in the know sworn to secrecy. ITV officially cancelled the show in 2021, after it had run every year from 2004 until 2018, having been beset by various scandals and criticism (there’s a whole Wikipedia page about it). Earlier this month, the official X Factor Facebook page quietly changed its profile picture back to its 2016-2018 logo, which strips away the words ‘The’ and ‘Factor’, leaving only the iconic X – which has left fans convinced the talent show is indeed winding its way back on the air. Deals of the Day I tried L'Oréal Paris's new PDRN serum and my skin looked glossier after one use This new Cricut gadget turns your favourite photos into stickers in minutes From kitchen hatches to burgundy walls – the biggest home trends for 2027 Oodie’s cosy blanket sale has arrived just in time for Christmas shopping Save over £700 on Simba's top-rated mattresses in this limited-time sale Arrow MORE: Cheryl makes debut on The Voice UK with Will.i.am as show confirms her comeback Arrow MORE: I’m A Celebrity spin-off ‘thrown into chaos’ after disgruntled crew member blocks trial Arrow MORE: Big Brother housemate Charlotte reveals reason for quitting ITV reboot after shocking fans TV Newsletter Sign up and tell us which TV shows you love to watch to get personalised updates every morning.