Nicole Scherzinger seems to be handling the news of her axing from X Factor USA much better than Paula Abdul. The 33-year-old kept her head held high as she arrived back in Los Angeles from New York, and looked pretty and composed.

The former girlfriend of Formula 1 driver Lewis Hamilton confirmed the news on Twitter, but has made no response to the disappointing development other than to insist that she will now be freed up to focus on her music. Abdul, on the other hand, can barely contain her wrath and made a statement laced with hurt and disbelief.

“I’ve learned through my longevity in this industry that business decisions often times override personal considerations,” Paula told the Daily Mail. According to a source close to the ex-singer/dancer, the soon to be 50-year-old found out a couple weeks ago from Steve Jones, whom she’s close to, that he would probably not be coming back.