Rebecca 'wants Louis to mentor her'

'X Factor' star Rebecca Ferguson has begged Louis Walsh to be her mentor.

The 24-year-old singer - who is currently under the guidance of Cheryl Cole - has reportedly asked the Kiltimagh-born judge to take control of her part in the competition after fearing the Geordie beauty favours 17-year-old Cher Lloyd.

Despite still being one of the favourites to win the ITV1 show, Rebecca is said to feel neglected by Cheryl, who lavishes all her attention on the teenage starlet.

An insider explained: "Rebecca had to watch while Cher, and before she got chucked out, Katie Waissel got all the attention. Cheryl tells her she is great and has a great voice, but Rebecca has felt like the others are the focus.

"Cher spends so much time getting tips from Cheryl and she even got extra studio time on Tuesday night while everyone was carted off to a film premiere."

Rebecca is said to have credited Louis with restoring her confidence in Rock Week after she burst into tears backstage following her performance, and is now keen for him to be her mentor in the final few weeks of the show.

The source added to The Sun newspaper: "Rebecca turned to Louis as he has always been such a big fan of hers. He gave her some advice and helped her get her confidence back.

"Louis would love to mentor her but it's not in the rules. He made sure Cheryl knew what had happened as it was a big dig at her."