Demi Lovato confirms X Factor exit

Demi Lovato has confirmed she is quitting as a judge on The X Factor to focus on her music career.

“I started the show being a singer and a musician, and so I’m going to go back to that,” the singer said on the show’s red carpet on Wednesday evening.

“It’s been really great but I’m so excited for 2014. I’m going to dedicate it completely and entirely to music, touring and making a new album.”

Demi Lovato also told The Hollywood Reporter she would most miss her fellow female judges.

“Being able to sit next to Kelly [Rowland] and Paulina [Rubio] and see them twice a week, and also helping mentor the contestants,” she said.

Series creator Simon Cowell added: “I always knew she wasn’t coming back because she’s touring, so I knew that.”

Demi Lovato, 21, joined the show in 2012 and took part as a judge and mentor for two series.

On Monday, Simon Cowell revealed he was planning changes to the format of The X Factor USA.

The series has suffered record low ratings this year, but Simon Cowell told reporters in a teleconference that he expected it to return in 2014.

The music mogul said the judging panel would change, but declined to comment on who he wanted to recruit.

Simon Cowell also said he envisioned a “different kind of role” for himself, but gave no specifics.