'X Factor' entrant resorts to surgery to progress

An ‘X Factor’ contestant had cosmetic surgery to win through to the second round of the show.

Katrina Lee was devastated when show judge Simon Cowell made disparaging remarks about her looks five years ago, and had drastic surgery to improve her appearance before auditioning again.

She said: “I just had to go back and re-write history. What happened to me the last time nearly tipped me over the edge, it was terrible.”

Katrina was 18 when she first tried out for the show. After singing Nat King Cole’s ‘When I Fall In Love’, Simon told her he wished he could have her voice “in someone else’s body”.

She went on to have laser surgery on her face, dental procedures and dyed her hair a shocking red. Katrina – who sang Sinead O’Connor’s ‘Nothing Compares 2 U’ at this year’s audition - also employed a personal trainer to help her shed 28lbs.

She said: “I came face to face with Simon Cowell and told him that his comments had nearly wrecked my life. He told me, ‘That’s not a nice thing I said.’ He seemed really shocked about how his comments had affected me.”

After her initial attempt, Katrina battled an eating disorder. She also says her self-confidence plummeted to such a low she didn’t feel able to start a relationship until she was 21.

She added to Britain’s The Sun newspaper: “Even though it was Simon who knocked me down, he’s also the one who brought me back up again by telling me I was a good-looking girl this year. He took all my insecurity away.”

Meanwhile, an Amy Winehouse impersonator has got through to the boot camp stage of the show.

Kelly Allen, who performs as Miss Winehouse, demanded a second chance at auditioning about Simon giggled throughout her first attempt.

He was tickled after Kelly told the panel – comprising Simon, Cheryl Cole, Dannii Minogue and Louis Walsh – she was advised to apply by a psychic.