Singer Cheryl has spoken out against the "relentless abuse" and “unbalanced negativity” she received after appearing on Sunday’s X Factor.

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Hitting back at the "tabloid press" and the negative response that followed her performance of Love Made Me Do It, the former judge on the ITV singing contest said such reaction “should not be tolerated in any walk of life”.

In a lengthy Twitter post, Cheryl said articles that questioned her appearance, body size and shape simply for “a clickbait headline" were "totally uncalled for".

The former Girls Aloud singer – who has a child with ex-One Direction member Liam Payne, former bandmate of current X Factor judge Louis Tomlinson ­– also dismissed accusations that guest panelist Nile Rodgers had snubbed her by not giving her a standing ovation.

"Dragging innocent people into it like they did Nile Rodgers... is totally uncalled for," she said.

Rodgers himself had previously poured scorn on the idea that he had snubbed Cheryl.

Cheryl also added that she had watched her performance back and “loved it”.

Her post was well-received by fans, with many responding with messages of support.

This Saturday’s X Factor is set to be a Mamma Mia! night, with contestants performing ABBA hits as members Benny Andersson and Björn Ulvaeus appear as guest mentors.

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The X Factor continues at 8pm on Saturday on ITV

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Thomas LingDigital editor, BBC Science Focus

Thomas is Digital editor at BBC Science Focus. Writing about everything from cosmology to anthropology, he specialises in the latest psychology, health and neuroscience discoveries. Thomas has a Masters degree (distinction) in Magazine Journalism from the University of Sheffield and has written for Men’s Health, Vice and Radio Times. He has been shortlisted as the New Digital Talent of the Year at the national magazine Professional Publishers Association (PPA) awards. Also working in academia, Thomas has lectured on the topic of journalism to undergraduate and postgraduate students at The University of Sheffield.

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