Dermot O'Leary: Simon Cowell admitted letting me leave The X Factor was a mistake

X Factor presenter Dermot O'Leary has revealed that he was asked to return to the show during a midnight phone call from Simon Cowell, who admitted letting him go was a mistake.

O'Leary, who had been replaced for one series by Olly Murs and Caroline Flack, will return to host the contest when the 13th series begins next weekend.

The presenter, 43, told The Sun that Cowell gave him a late-night call in February, saying: "I've made a mistake, I'd love to get you back."

After the discussion, O'Leary flew out to Hollywood to meet Cowell for a meeting that he said was "a lot less awkward than I thought it was going to be".

"Simon and I spoke about where we thought the show had lost its way and how to bring the heart and soul back - that was key for me," he said.

O'Leary has reportedly signed a lucrative new contract with the ITV show, but said money did not play a factor in his decision.

"I've been like that since I was a runner on nine-and-a-half grand a year," he said.

"I've never taken a job purely for the money. With The X Factor it was, 'What would make you come back? What would you like to do with the show?' I didn't worry about money."

O'Leary added that he was forced to leave the show after hearing that bosses were looking at other presenters.

"I don't have a God-given right to that job but I always said, 'If I find out they are talking to anyone else, I'm not going to play games, I'll just go'," he said.

"I called ITV and actually didn't speak to Simon. I texted Simon and got a lovely text back but at the time I wanted to keep that at arm's length."