Sharon Osbourne won’t work with Simon Cowell again – unless he pays her $7 million.
The 66-year-old star insisted she had never fallen out with the 60-year-old music mogul despite his recent claims they had buried the hatchet over his disappointment at being dropped from ‘The X Factor’, but she isn’t interested in his olive branch of the possibility of teaming up again in the future, unless the price is right.
Asked how it felt to be friends again by fellow ‘The Talk’ panellist Carrie Ann Inaba, she said: "Well, we were never — for me — not not friends. It’s because for me, it was business, not personal. And there’s a huge line between… That’s what happens when you work with people that you like, you know? You fall out business wise, but for me, I say what I feel at the time, and for me, it’s over.
"And because I said certain things about and to Simon doesn’t mean I hate him forever; just for that second I don’t like him!
"But not hate. I never use the word hate when I talk about people. He’s okay! I just don’t wanna work with him."
Btu she later admitted she wouldn’t give an outright no to a job offer.
She said: "Sure, he can buy me! … It would be about $7 mil. So, love ya, baby!"
Sharon also poured scorn on Simon’s claim last week that he had "called the other day" to thrash out their differences.
She shouted: "The other day was May 2018. I haven’t heard from him since May 2018! But that’s fine! Listen, that’s fine. He doesn’t have a great memory.
"It’s fine! "I’m happy that he now thinks about me as his friend, which is fine. I don’t have beef with anyone ’cause I get it out at the moment. And that’s what people don’t understand — I say what I feel, and then it’s gone. I don’t have grudges. Why?"
Simon previously insisted Sharon would always be "welcomed back" to one of his shows.
He said last week: "I phoned her up the other day and said ‘Look, I’ll be honest with you. How could I criticise you for being mouthy when it’s the reason I hired you in the first place?’
"Sharon gets a bit carried away but deep down she’s got real affection for the shows. There will be other versions of these shows, I am sure, and she is always welcome back. If ever she had an issue, I’d be on a plane in five seconds, she’d do the same for me.
"I know that about her. There’s absolutely no bad blood at all and I like I said, when people think I’m annoyed with her, I’m not! She’s a good friend and always will be."
Sharon was first a judge on the show from 2004 to 2007 before making returns in 2013 and again from 2016 to 2017 but claimed she was sacked last year for being "too old".