Cher Lloyd has become the latest X Factor star to hit out at bosses, revealing she ‘lost her mind’ and ‘went to a dark place’ after being ‘painted as a villain’ during her time on the show.

The singer, 31, first rose to a fame as a contestant on the ITV show in 2010, and after impressing the judges, and viewers, she signed to Simon Cowell’s record label Syco.

Cher went onto leave three years later after the star revealed she and Simon, 65, had disagreed about her career path and how she couldn’t handle that level of ‘control’. 

Now, in a new interview for Paul Brunson’s We Need To Talk podcast, Cher has revealed the devastating impact her time on The X Factor had on her mental health.

The star confessed that due to the fact she hit out at negative attention towards her she was ‘painted as the villain’ by bosses.

Offering insight into the show’s welfare support at the time, Cher went onto add that even though she was just 16 when she took part on the show, she was prescribed antidepressants.

Cher Lloyd has become the latest X Factor star to hit out at bosses, revealing she ‘lost her mind’ and ‘went to a dark place’ after being ‘painted as a villain’ during her time on the show

The singer first rose to a fame as a contestant on the ITV show in 2010, but has now shared the devastating impact her time on the series had on her mental health

She said: ‘I was oblivious, I truly believed that going on a show like The X Factor was gonna be just fun, fun and I’m gonna get to sing which is exactly what I wanted, it wasn’t just that. It was so much more.

‘They have to entertain people, unfortunately it’s not just about the signing and I think because I had such confidence and was such a presence at that time I think that was a gateway into kind of giving me the character of the villain. 

‘I guess I was the villain that year which tends to happen in reality TV, and I’m not saying that I was perfect because I definitely wasn’t, I think I struggled a lot on the show with how to deal with this instant fame, and people’s comments towards me and the negative attention.

‘I didn’t know how to deal with it, but at the same time I look back and I think I didn’t deserve half the stuff that happened to me, I definitely didn’t. And I’d feel the same if that was my daughter, if my daughter had to go through that I’d pull her. 1,000,000 per cent.’

During her time on The X Factor, Cher was mentored by judge Cheryl, and despite her turbulent stint on the show, she said the singer was ‘nothing but good’ to her. 

Detailing how she struggled with negative comments from viewers, Cher admitted she would ‘constantly bite back,’ and it made her feel like she had ‘lost all control of her life.’

She added that it was ‘tiny micro things,’ such as being told to wear clothes she didn’t like by the show’s stylist, that made her feel like she was ‘losing her mind.’

‘I didn’t feel like I had anyone to turn to. No one to talk to properly because they were on the show,’ she said.

Speaking on Paul Brunson’s We Need To Talk podcast, Cher confessed that due to the fact she hit out at negative attention towards her she was ‘painted as the villain’ by bosses

Offering insight into the show’s welfare support at the time, Cher went onto add that even though she was just 16 when she took part on the show, she was prescribed antidepressants

‘So where do you go? I felt like I was watching myself from the outside and I was watching myself spiral, I was spiralling, I was angry really really angry, because all of a sudden it wasn’t fun anymore.’

Read More X Factor winner looks very different 15 years after winning the ITV show

Asked by Paul about the mental health support on offer to contestants at the time, Cher said there was a ‘team’ on hand, but added: ‘I was given antidepressants while on the show, I was 16 and I was prescrived antidepressants, I thought that was the norm, I guess this is showbiz.

‘I felt like I had to because, was it gonna get better? Was it gonna stop? I don’t know.’

In her new single, Head Down, Cher also appears to take a swipe at X Factor head judge Simon Cowell, where she sings ‘You sold me the dream, I was just seventeen, chewed me up, spit me out’.

MailOnline has contacted a representative for ITV for comment. 

MailOnline understands that a psychologist was present at all judge auditions, bootcamp and key stages in the compeтιтion and a doctor was on hand to supervise the screening of participants for welfare concerns and provide support across the series.

A dedicated welfare producer was present at the participant house and in the studios acting as the day-to-day contact for the participants and medical or psychological support provided was on a confidential basis.

The same year she left Cowell’s label, Cher married her boyfriend of less than two years, Craig Monk, and in May 2018 they welcomed their first daughter, Delilah-Rae.

During her time on The X Factor, Cher was mentored by judge Cheryl, and despite her turbulent stint on the show, she said the singer was ‘nothing but good’ to her

Cher is the latest former X-Factor star to speak out against the head judge as Little Mix’s Jade Thirlwall confirmed she made a dig at Cowell on her latest single (pictured with Louis Theroux on his podcast)

Their second daughter, Eliza Violet was born in 2023.

Cher delighted her fans earlier this month when she announced plans to release new music – over a decade after the release of her last album.

Taking to Instagram, Cher shared a stunning selfie and wrote: ‘Happy new year! I think it’s time for some new music…. this is not a drill!!’

Cher, who found fame on The X Factor in 2010, released her debut album Sticks And Stones the following year which featured the number one single Swagger Jagger.

She released her second album Sorry I’m Late in 2014 which reached number 21 on the UK Albums Chart.

Fans were delighted to hear Cher plans on releasing new music and wrote: ‘You do not understand how excited we all are’.

Cher is the latest former X-Factor star to speak out against the head judge as Little Mix’s Jade Thirlwall confirmed she made a dig at Cowell on her latest single.

The former Little Mix star started up her solo career in 2024 with the track Angel of My Dreams and followed that up with Fantasy.

With her debut single, she sang of ‘selling her soul to a psycho’ and was pressed on whether that was a reference to the former Syco record label manager.

During an appearance on The Louis Theroux Podcast, the host said: ‘Selling my soul to a psycho, they say I’m so lucky.

‘Syco happens to be the name of Simon Cowell’s company. ‘

Jade replied: ‘Coincidentally, yes. I mean, it’s written on the tin, isn’t it?’

Former winner Matt Terry also slammed the show in October, saying he hopes it ‘never’ returns to screens and it’s ‘not good for people’. 

Asked if he thinks the show should come back, he told MailOnline: ‘Never! It’s not good – it’s not good for people. I’m strong, and I know how I dealt with it.

‘You go in there and you’re built up, and I was a waiter beforehand, so I’d never done anything of the sort, and you’re kind of thrust in.

‘If X Factor comes back, I just hope they put some sort of psychological moment in for people. There are people who have come years before me, that are still confused and struggle with their idenтιтy.

‘I’m just so happy I got to a place where I feel like, you know what, I did it, it’s part of my story, but it’s not all of me. I can’t let this one thing define me.’

Matt, who released his debut album Trouble in 2017, told how he struggled to adjusted to fame after the show.

He also found there was ‘no support’ when the series ended and he ‘struggled’ after.

He said: ‘For me it felt like I’d finished the show, and off you go into the big wide world, on your own. There was no support, and I just didn’t realise it.

‘When I came off the show, it changed my life, and it opened many doors, but I struggled definitely. Afterwards, there wasn’t anyone there to help me.

‘I’m grateful that I’ve got a good set of friends and solid family, which is lucky because not everybody has that, to say, ‘You’re human, you’re fine, you’re not just an X Factor winner, but you’re also Matt Terry, the person.’

Former X Factor contestant Katie Waissel previously said the show ‘ruined’ her life.

Throughout the course of the singing compeтιтion, Waissel said she received acid attack and death threats, and suffered both panic attacks and suicidal thoughts.

The singer said she has since sought therapy for post-traumatic stress disorder following her time on the show.

She also founded the OWHL Foundation to help others who have experienced a similar situation to her. On its website, the foundation says it aims to ‘oversee the welfare, human rights and liberty within the creative industry sector’.

Former winner Matt Terry also slammed the show in October , saying he hopes it ‘never’ returns to screens and it’s ‘not good for people’

Former X Factor contestant Katie Waissel previously said the show ‘ruined’ her life

Former contestants Jedward have also previously hit out at the show, saying: ‘The biggest regret in life was not telling the judges on X Factor to f**k off’ 

Rebecca Ferguson has claimed the music industry is hiding ‘awful human rights abuses’ and that she has endured ‘systematic misogyny and bullying’ throughout her career. 

Looking back through contracts she signed during her time on the X Factor, she told the Times: ‘There are so many of us who have been so trapped and it’s not fair, there was a huge imbalance in power.’

Former contestants Jedward have also previously hit out at the show, tweeting in April 2021: ‘Every contestant on the X Factor was a slave to the show and got paid Zero while they made millions!’

In another tweet, they added: ‘The biggest regret in life was not telling the judges on X Factor to f**k off’.

Cher Lloyd, who finished fourth in the 2010 edition of X Factor, claimed she was ‘sold a dream’ when appearing on the show at 17, before being exploited.

In a duet shared on TikTok, she sang: ‘How could I be so naive? They sold me the dream just to exploit me.

‘Said darling darling you’ll go far if you shake that a** and date a star. And if the record’s taking off we’ll take the money.’

Rebecca Ferguson has claimed the music industry is hiding ‘awful human rights abuses’ and that she has endured ‘systematic misogyny and bullying’ throughout her career.

The singer, who came in second place on the reality show’s seventh series, said her experience was common but claimed poor behaviour was being ignored because people thought ‘you have to put up with it’.

She was one of a series of stars to give evidence to MPs on the Women and Equalities Committee as part of a report into misogyny and discrimination in the UK music scene.

Speaking on BBC Radio 4’s Today programme in January, she said: ‘I’ve had to deal with misogyny and bullying and really awful treatment my entire career. As the committee has found, it’s pretty rife within the music industry.

‘It’s systemic, and I’m just so glad that the committee has asked the government for urgent action.