Ousted X-Factor contestant Sami Brookes is the person Louis Walsh suggested was being bullied by hot favourite Misha Bryan during an astonishing on-air bust up between the judging panel this weekend.
Millions of viewers saw Walsh slam the 19-year-old favourite to win, when he announced live on air: “One of my contestants has complained to me that Misha has been bullying her.”
His accusation led to a row between all four judges as cameras continued to roll.
On the results show 24 hours later, Walsh apologised for his outburst, saying: “I shouldn’t have called Misha a bully and I apologise for that.”
The Sun newspaper today reported that the contestant Louis referred to was in fact Sami Brookes, who was voted off the show last night.
According to the tabloid, Sami had suffered weeks of antagonism from bookies’ favourite Misha. It apparently came to a head on Thursday at London’s Hard Rock Cafe, when Misha apparently told Sami that she was not one of the show’s “top four”.
Misha then apparently muscled Sami out of pictures being taken by waiting paparazzi. It is alleged the pair had a screaming row the next day, ending with Sami in tears.
Misha’s mentor Kelly Rowland was apparently fuming that her protege had been so publicly accused on the show.
A spokesman for the X-Factor said that there had been no bullying among contestants.
The BBC’s Strictly Come Dancing again beat X-Factor in the ratings by about a million viewers when the two shows overlapped on Saturday night.
