Despite her own publicist's denials that the Spice Girl will become a permanent fixture on "American Idol," Victoria Beckham is reportedly set to be offered £3 million to become a permanent judge on the series.
Victoria Beckham is set to be offered £3 million to become a permanent judge on 'American Idol'. © Janet Mayer / PR Photos
The former Spice Girl has impressed bosses with her two guest appearances on the judging panel for the US talent show and they think she has the right credentials to take over from Paula Abdul.
However, program executives want to make sure the British star connects with the US public before offering her the job as they are concerned they may be put off by her accent and skinny frame.
A source said: "'American Idol' is the highest rated show and they don't want to pick a judge viewers don't take to. Focus groups are going to be set up to judge Victoria's performance.
"There's some concern about whether viewers will think she's too skinny. They're also worried about her accent. She's started to talk in a very posh voice and some people might struggle with that."
Other stars in the running to take over from Paula - who quit earlier this month - include Mary J. Blige and Katy Perry.
It was recently claimed Victoria had "facial expression" lessons before making her debut on 'American Idol'.
A source said: "Victoria knows she has a very thick British accent and is sometimes misunderstood in America. She wanted to come across the best she could on 'American Idol', so she took some private lessons on how to properly pronounce words and how to make appropriate facial expressions.
"Victoria is famous for her pout but she herself admitted she wanted to shed that pout for the show to come across more human."
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