'Nasty' Barlow told to tone it down

Gary Barlow has been told to give his Mr. Nasty act a rest on ‘The X Factor’.

The Take That singer – who joins Louis Walsh, Kelly Rowland and Tulisa Contostavlos on the ITV1 show’s judging panel – was originally instructed to assume the critical role of Simon Cowell, who quit the series to launch ‘The X Factor’ in the US.

However, show chiefs have now reportedly received a string of complaints from distraught contestants unhappy with his tactless manner – which is said to make Simon Cowell look like “Mary Poppins” - with one hopeful even threatening to commit suicide.

An insider explained: “It’s like Gary’s evil twin turned up to judge. He’s making Simon look like Mary Poppins. When he told singer Pebbles she looked like a man at her Birmingham audition, you could have heard a pin drop. She was mortified and immediately complained.

“There have been several complaints over Gary’s dressing downs. One singer said they felt like killing themselves after coming off stage. Gary has been told to tone it down by contestants.”

Despite the 40-year-old star coming under fire for his controversial comments, ‘X Factor’ chiefs are said to be thrilled with his role as lead judge in the wake of Simon Cowell and Cheryl Cole’s recent departure from the show.

A production source told The Sun newspaper: “He’s a complete natural. There’s no doubt he’ll be the star of the series now that Cheryl has gone – and he won’t be short of TV work in the future.”