We would have bet all the money in our bank account that James Arthur wouldn't be getting a Christmas card from Simon Cowell this year - but now we're glad that William Hill refused to take our money on it.

Because the troubled former X Factor winner is reported to have ended his long-running beef with SiCo at the weekend - attending the show as a VIP guest on the boss man's say-so.

The Mirror reports that the pair met in SiCo's dressing room prior to the broadcast and the pair talked over their past differences.

A source told the paper: "Even though Simon dropped James after just one record, and didn't condone the way he conducted himself on Twitter, he still thinks that James is incredibly talented and wanted to put water under the bridge.

"James seems to be in a really good place now – he genuinely seems happier than ever. This is something he needed to do to be able to move on."

Arthur, 26, has embroiled himself in a series of scandals in recent years - including a homophobic slur in an online rap battle.

He was dropped from SyCo Music back in March after just one album - but as for the future, who knows now?