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The X Factor judge has been battling with bosses who believe a ratings disaster will be on the cards when the show goes head-to-head with Paul O'Grady later this month.
"Everyone's really worried about Paul's new programme. He's popular and a ratings winner," a source told The People. "It's going to be all-out war now - and the pressure is going to be on Sharon to turn things around as quickly as possible."
The insider added: "There have been several showdowns. Sharon was thought to be taking up too much time with her own chat during interviews. It was suggested Sharon needed to home in on getting the best out of her guests.
"She obviously wasn't best pleased with the criticism and she gave as good as she got. But she is downhearted. She has worked so hard preparing the show. This has been a real blow to her and she's upset."
