X Factor cans footage of 'eccentric' contestant

TV BOSSES said yesterday they will not broadcast X-Factor hopeful Shirlena Johnson's eccentric final performance on the show.

The single mother from London left the hit ITV1 talent show after concerns were raised about her mental health. An X-Factor spokesman confirmed viewers will not see the performance recorded at the boot camp stage.

He said: "The decision to remove Shirlena was made after we recorded boot camp and, therefore, she may appear on camera as part of a wider group shot. Shirlena's individual performance will not be featured."

The now-canned footage shows the singer, in a leopard-print bra and hot pants, performing an eccentric version of Lady Gaga's Bad Romance in front of judges Simon Cowell, Louis Walsh and Nicole Scherzinger.

Concerns were raised after her first appearance on Saturday, when she shrieked and wailed her way through a version of Duffy's Mercy that Cowell likened to a "musical exorcism".