Cowell, 56, reckons that her new relationship with One Direction star Liam Payne has a lot to do with her decision, reported Daily Mirror.
"I had a feeling she would leave. She is at a certain place in her life at the moment. I saw her and Liam a couple of weeks ago and they looked really happy," Cowell said.
However, there's no fallout or bad feeling from the decision. In fact Cowell has Cheryl in mind for a future show he's working on.
"We are on good terms and will probably end up doing something else together. Maybe a different sort of show. I have something in mind I want to talk to her about. But I don't think a break will do her any harm."
Besides Cheryl, Nick Grimshaw has already confirmed his departure from "The X Factor" after one year on the judging panel.
