Crowds turn on Cheryl as she reduces contestant to tears

Oh no! Maybe this new edgier attitude isn't a good idea after all, Cheryl…

Wed, 06 Aug, 2014 - 15:39

Anna O’Donoghue

Cheryl Fernandez-Versini was "really shocked" to be booed at 'X Factor' auditions

The 'Crazy Stupid Love' hitmaker stood in for Simon Cowell - who had a migraine - at the Wembley try-outs yesterday and despite promising to have "more fun" without the music mogul, her harsh critiques quickly angered the audience.

"Cheryl wasn't prepared. She gave one contestant tough love and they burst into tears. The audience booed her and she was really shocked,” a source told The Sun newspaper.

"She did her best to fill in for Simon, sitting in his seat and cutting songs short with his hand gestures."

Cheryl first angered the crowd after reducing one singer to tears by telling her she'd be better off in stand-up comedy, and was then booed again when she advised another act to be more like Justin Bieber.

"You could be your own five-piece band, but I think you should do stand-up or something like that," she said.

"I just wouldn't know how to mentor you," to singer said to a 26-year-old woman named Sammy.

To which Sammy replied: "But I don't always have to be mental."

Cheryl retorted: "But every time we've met you, you are."

And to the second auditionee, she advised: "You need more stage presence, there's nothing there. If Justin Bieber came on to that stage... "

Her harsh remarks will have come as a shock as she pledged not to be "offensive" at the beginning of the session.

"I'm going to be honest in a way that's not offensive," she previously said.

The crowd seem to have smiley happy faces in her Instagram post, but she may have won them over by posing for numerous selfies throughout the day.