X Factor: Gary Barlow to Return as Judge After Patching Up With Simon Cowell

Gary Barlow is reportedly returning as an X Factor judge after ending the rumoured feud with Simon Cowell.

According to a report in the Mirror, the Take That singer is said to have not spoken to the executive producer of the show since last February but patched up recently.

"Simon and Gary are in a good place now - and Gary looks a good bet to be back on the show this year," a source close to Cowell said.

"ITV, Simon and X Factor execs all met up in the last few weeks. They have come up with a list of judges they want - and Gary is one of them," the insider added.

In Tom Bower's biography Sweet Revenge, Cowell blamed "wooden" Barlow for the fall in The X Factor's ratings. Meanwhile, last December Barlow had also hinted that he wouldn't be returning to the show in 2013.

"I don't talk to Simon, I talk to ITV," Barlow said then, adding, "To be honest, I don't know if there is room in my diary for X Factor."

On the other side, X Factor guest judge Rita Ora recently admitted that she turned down the offer by Cowell to be a permanent judge on the show.

"I actually met Simon finally at the Brits after all the things we did for X Factor," she said, "He came up to me, he said, 'Thank you so much for doing that for the show'. I said 'Yeah, of course, it's fine', and then he looked at me, he gave me that look like there's something coming but he never asked me."

"I think right now I don't think it would be the right time to do anything X Factor. I'd love to come back in and out and be a guest judge but if I was to take on the full role it would come from a place where I feel I'm satisfied with my career and right now I've got a lot to do," she added.