Death threats aimed at X Factor judge, Nicole Scherzinger, caused the former pussycat doll to hide in her dressing room, and the abuse received by act Rylan Clark has brought it all back.

In an exclusive with The Metro, Scherzinger explained: "It breaks my heart. Last year, I had death threats on The X Factor USA. It kind of ruined me. I told them (the producers) I didn't wanna leave my room." And as if that wasn't bad enough, the 34-year old's act on the UK The X Factor, Rylan Clark, has also been the subject of some abuse: "It really frightened and scared me when I got death threats. It upsets me to hear that Rylan had to go through that... to read some of the comments that he has had," explained the 34-year-old pop star. "I didn't know people could conjure up such thoughts... so hateful," she added. "I just have to say a prayer for people like that. It's not positive. These are just ignorant, uneducated people."

Gary Barlow, one of the key judges on the show, is also critical of Clark, but not in the weird, abusive way in which some members of the public have been. He tends to offer constructive criticism, but an increasingly confident Scherzinger is ready to take him on. "It ain't nothing but a chicken wing, I believe in Rylan," she said.