It was during her last series as a judge that the singer was going through a divorce with ex-husband Ashley Cole and it was also the year she battled with malaria.
Cheryl and X Factor boss Simon Cowell are said to have been having talks about her return to the show, but a source told a UK newspaper: “She’s not sure whether taking the job is the right thing.
“Cheryl associates her last season there with a really hard time in her life and that’s her biggest mental hurdle. It was when she was going through the divorce and had just had malaria.
“Although she loves the show, the season was really intense and hard work with her finalists.”
Despite them previously falling out over Cheryl’s X Factor US sacking, Simon has made it clear that he would like to see her back as a judge.
He said: “She was a really, really good judge. I mean, she took what she did seriously. She used to phone me almost every night – one, two, three o’clock in the morning, talking about songs and what she should be doing,
“That’s the kind of judge you want to be working with because they really care.”
It seems that, despite everything she has been through, Cheryl is finally happy and is worried a return will ruin everything, with the source continuing: “Cheryl is in a good place – the best she has ever been.
Simon is after her but she is having to do some real soul-searching to see is she really wants to throw herself back into the spotlight.”