X FACTOR hopeful Amy Connolly last night branded show host Dermot O'Leary a "two-faced fake".
The teenager was furious he mocked "sob stories" - after consoling her when the memory of her late Scots mum reduced her to tears during the auditions.
O'Leary, who presented The X Factor for the first time last year, made his attack on ITV2 quiz show Celebrity Juice.
He declared: "It's past 9 o'clock, I can say what I f***ing want. So, I don't care what your dream is. I don't care what you want to sing. And I don't care about your dead relative."
Now 18-year-old Amy, whose Fife-born mum Rosemarie died of cancer when she was just seven, has hit back.
Another of this year's contestants, Danny Evans, has also suffered a bereavement, losing his wife after the birth of his daughter.
Amy, who is among the six girls in the 14-24 age group being mentored by judge Cheryl Cole in the "judges' houses" section of the TV talent show, said: "My blood was boiling."
She said O'Leary, 35, who made his name on Big Brother's Little Brother, comforted her throughout the week-long bootcamp stage, talking to her every day and being supportive of her.
She added: "He came across as so down to earth and nice.
"My blood was boiling when I heard his comments and I thought, 'If I see him again I'll have to have a word with him.' Dermot, it's fair enough if you do not like sob stories but don't come across like you cared.
"He said what he really thought on a programme that was going to be broadcast past 9pm but it is so so cruel and so horrible to say it. I couldn't believe it and thought, 'You heartless b******.'
"The whole way through he was so supportive, even through that bootcamp week, by talking to me every day. I just thought, 'You are a fake, so fake.'"
Amy, whose half-brother David was also killed in a car crash just months after she lost her mum, insisted it had never been her intention to gain sympathy votes by telling her family's tragic story.
During the auditions, Amy reduced Girls Aloud star Cheryl to tears with her story and emotional performance of Faith Hill's There You'll Be.
Amy, who now lives in Watford, Hertfordshire, says she is thrilled to be one of the final 24 contestants on this year's show.
And she was delighted when she found out Cheryl was mentoring her group for the next stage.
Cheryl and her Girls Aloud bandmate Kimberley Walsh, who is assisting her with the girls, are staying in a villa in Cannes, while the contestants are in a nearby hotel.
She said: "It's so great that I've got her, as I was hoping I'd get her. Obviously, from the first audition, she was my sort of person and she started crying when she heard about my mum.
"It was incredible, the places we went to in Cannes, absolutely amazing.
"We got taken to the strip with all its designer shops before we knew Cheryl was our judge.
"We all thought then it was definitely Cheryl because she is the most glamorous one who does all the shopping."
Amy added said: "Cheryl came out on the balcony of the villa and we all started screaming.
"It was such an overwhelming experience and I will treasure it for the rest of my life.
"It was incredible to be sitting with Cheryl and Kimberley over a cup of tea outside the villa."
Amy said some of the contestants were less than happy to be put up in a hotel while Cheryl stayed in the villa.
She admitted: "I was disappointed we weren't staying in the villa but they've got privacy and we've got to respect that.
"It's not the end of the world but it would have been nice. "
Amy will be doing everything she can to try to make it two in a row for Scotland after the win for Leon Jackson, from Whitburn, West Lothian, last year.
She said: "I've got Scottish blood flowing through my veins and the only thing not Scottish aboutme is my accent.
"It's such a dream come true to be through to this stage and if I can do it again, like Leon did last year, it would be amazing.
"All the other Scots contestants were so nice and have said they'll support me."
The teenager was furious he mocked "sob stories" - after consoling her when the memory of her late Scots mum reduced her to tears during the auditions.
O'Leary, who presented The X Factor for the first time last year, made his attack on ITV2 quiz show Celebrity Juice.
He declared: "It's past 9 o'clock, I can say what I f***ing want. So, I don't care what your dream is. I don't care what you want to sing. And I don't care about your dead relative."
Now 18-year-old Amy, whose Fife-born mum Rosemarie died of cancer when she was just seven, has hit back.
Another of this year's contestants, Danny Evans, has also suffered a bereavement, losing his wife after the birth of his daughter.
Amy, who is among the six girls in the 14-24 age group being mentored by judge Cheryl Cole in the "judges' houses" section of the TV talent show, said: "My blood was boiling."
She said O'Leary, 35, who made his name on Big Brother's Little Brother, comforted her throughout the week-long bootcamp stage, talking to her every day and being supportive of her.
She added: "He came across as so down to earth and nice.
"My blood was boiling when I heard his comments and I thought, 'If I see him again I'll have to have a word with him.' Dermot, it's fair enough if you do not like sob stories but don't come across like you cared.
"He said what he really thought on a programme that was going to be broadcast past 9pm but it is so so cruel and so horrible to say it. I couldn't believe it and thought, 'You heartless b******.'
"The whole way through he was so supportive, even through that bootcamp week, by talking to me every day. I just thought, 'You are a fake, so fake.'"
Amy, whose half-brother David was also killed in a car crash just months after she lost her mum, insisted it had never been her intention to gain sympathy votes by telling her family's tragic story.
During the auditions, Amy reduced Girls Aloud star Cheryl to tears with her story and emotional performance of Faith Hill's There You'll Be.
Amy, who now lives in Watford, Hertfordshire, says she is thrilled to be one of the final 24 contestants on this year's show.
And she was delighted when she found out Cheryl was mentoring her group for the next stage.
Cheryl and her Girls Aloud bandmate Kimberley Walsh, who is assisting her with the girls, are staying in a villa in Cannes, while the contestants are in a nearby hotel.
She said: "It's so great that I've got her, as I was hoping I'd get her. Obviously, from the first audition, she was my sort of person and she started crying when she heard about my mum.
"It was incredible, the places we went to in Cannes, absolutely amazing.
"We got taken to the strip with all its designer shops before we knew Cheryl was our judge.
"We all thought then it was definitely Cheryl because she is the most glamorous one who does all the shopping."
Amy added said: "Cheryl came out on the balcony of the villa and we all started screaming.
"It was such an overwhelming experience and I will treasure it for the rest of my life.
"It was incredible to be sitting with Cheryl and Kimberley over a cup of tea outside the villa."
Amy said some of the contestants were less than happy to be put up in a hotel while Cheryl stayed in the villa.
She admitted: "I was disappointed we weren't staying in the villa but they've got privacy and we've got to respect that.
"It's not the end of the world but it would have been nice. "
Amy will be doing everything she can to try to make it two in a row for Scotland after the win for Leon Jackson, from Whitburn, West Lothian, last year.
She said: "I've got Scottish blood flowing through my veins and the only thing not Scottish aboutme is my accent.
"It's such a dream come true to be through to this stage and if I can do it again, like Leon did last year, it would be amazing.
"All the other Scots contestants were so nice and have said they'll support me."
