Cheryl sparks outrage after refusing to vote in 'X Factor'

Treyc Cohen was voted off 'The X Factor' last night after Cheryl Cole – who mentors both Katie Waissel and Treyc – refused to vote to save one of her acts.

The 26-year-old call centre worker – who found herself in the bottom two for the second time after failing to impress the public with her rendition of Aerosmith's 'Don't Wanna Miss A Thing' – was forced to leave the ITV1 competition after judges Louis Walsh and Simon Cowell voted to save controversial Katie Waissel in the show's sing-off.

Despite Simon claiming wildcard Treyc was a "better singer" than her rival, both he and Louis controversially voted to save 24-year-old Katie, who broke down halfway through her performance and shouted "s*d it" before sitting down cross-legged on the stage.

He said: "Here's the dilemma, Katie you're a better performer, and Treyc, you're the better singer."

While judge Dannii Minogue voted to save Treyc – who performed a note-perfect version of Toni Braxton's 'Unbreak My Heart' during the sing-off – Cheryl has sparked outrage among 'X Factor' fans by refusing to choose between the two contestants.

Had she voted for Treyc, the tied vote would have been determined by the total public vote for each contestant.

An 'X Factor' spokesperson said: "Dermot was very clear. He asked Cheryl if she was refusing to vote. He told her if she refused it would simply be based on the majority. Those are the rules."