London, Feb 08 : Aussie singer Dannii Minogue won't be axed as the judge of `The X Factor' after Simon Cowell calculated that keeping her on would help win the ratings battle with the BBC's `Strictly Come Dancing', say sources.

Apart from that, sources say that Cowell also fears making a martyr of Minogue after the embarrassment of last month firing Kelly Brook from his other ITV series, `Britain's Got Talent'.

According to insiders, Cowell negotiated with potential replacements including Victoria Beckham, Emma Bunton, Lily Allen and Charlotte Church but came to this conclusion after calculating that keeping her would help swell the X Factor's ratings after it peaked at a record 14million in December.

"He had been toying with the idea of new blood for a while, but when he looked back it became increasingly obvious that Dannii was the talking point of the last series," the Mirror quoted a source, as saying.

"Simon is a very canny businessman and this is a purely business decision.

"Although sacking Dannii and getting a new judge could win viewers for the first few shows, keeping Dannii pretty much guarantees fireworks throughout the entire series,"" the source added. (ANI)