Idol finalist back on X Factor

POP Idol finalist Hayley Evetts is to sing in front of acid-tongued Simon Cowell AGAIN — this time on The X Factor.

She will come face-to-face with judge Simon after getting through the first round of the ITV1 talent contest.

The blonde singer, 30, turned up at “culling” auditions, where producers whittle down the hopefuls before the judges step in. She has just been axed from playing Sandy in a touring production of Grease — to make way for the winners of ITV1’s Grease Is The Word.

A pal said: “Hayley has spent the last year and a half in Grease and she had nothing to lose, so she thought she’d go for it.”

The X Factor will be Hayley’s FOURTH reality show stint. She got through to the last round of auditions for Popstars — the show that spawned Hear’Say. She also hosted the ITV2 spin-off Popstars: The Rivals and got through to the last five in Pop Idol.

Hayley recently sang at a launch party for Grease Is The Word, which picked up an extra 200,000 viewers on Saturday night — peaking at 4.7million.

Simon, 47, is going back on the road today for The X Factor auditions, just two weeks after finishing filming American Idol.

He will be joined by Sharon Osbourne, new judges Danni Minogue and choreographer Brian Friedman, and new host Dermot O’Leary.