Sinitta: 'Dannii has balls of steel'

Sinitta has praised X Factor judge Dannii Minogue for her care-free attitude.

The former popstar, who helps to mentor Simon Cowell's contestants on the ITV1 talent show, revealed that she admires Minogue for putting on a brave face in response to jibes in the press.

She also commented on recent tabloid reports claiming that the Aussie singer is embroiled in a feud with her new X Factor co-star Cheryl Cole.

"I sit right behind Dannii Minogue and Cheryl Cole, and I can definitely say they're not the best of friends by any stretch of the imagination," Sinitta told The Mirror. "But I like them both and they're both stunning.

"Cheryl is feisty and comes across warmer than Dannii. She has a lot of heart because she can identify with the contestants but Dannii has balls of steel the way she has coped with the criticism about her surgery and being Kylie's sister."

Sinitta confirmed that there has been "lots of flirtation" between Cowell and Cole in recent weeks, adding that the music mogul took care of his new recruit when she struggled with nerves during the first live show.

She added: "In last week's show Cheryl was all cocky again. When she performed with Girls Aloud and Simon had a dig at her, she slapped him afterwards."