Monday 19th November 2012 by Michael Baggs | Photos by WENN.com

Tags: Cheryl Cole, X Factor

X Factor judge Louis Walsh has taken a sly dig at both Cheryl Cole and Nadine Coyle, coyly insulting each of their solo careers - and saying he wouldn't like to run into Cheryl Cole in a dark alley.

Walsh claims Coyle could have enjoyed a solo music career as successful as Cole if she had married a footballer - suggesting her relationship with Ashely Cole was the only reason Cheryl scored chart topping success.

Walsh was once the manager of Girls aloud and shared the X Factor judging panel with Cheryl Cole for several years.

Walsh praises Coyle's vocal talents, saying she is the best singer in Girls Aloud 'by a mile', saying: "She is the best singer! By a mile. But she didn't marry a footballer. If she'd married a footballer she'd have been a big star."

Walsh also told the broadsheet that given a choice between bumping into Cheryl Cole or Tulisa in a dark alley, he would pick Tulisa over Cole.

Walsh preferred well lit spaces when working with Cheryl Cole on the X Factor

Walsh had nothing but praise for his current X Factor colleague Tulisa, saying: "She works hard; she's honest. I did say she's a chav in a tracksuit, but she's a good chav in a good tracksuit.

"She's a lovely girl," he adds. "We bonded from day one. I was dreading meeting her. I thought she was going to be a right little knacker. You know, a real toughie."

Louis Walsh may find himself working with Cheryl Cole again sooner than he expected, as rumours suggest X Factor boss is planning to replace Tulisa with Cole on the next season of the show to prevent ratings falling further.

Photos: ten years of Girls Aloud - what a difference a decade makes