Update: Rachel 'fires mentor Minogue'

Rachel Hylton has fired her mentor Dannii Minogue and will work without the assistance of a judge for the rest of The X Factor, according to tabloid reports.

Hylton, who was voted into the bottom two on last week's show, was unhappy with Minogue's song selection in recent weeks.

"There have been some differences of opinion between acts and judges before, but not on this level," a source told The Mirror.

"There is a total breakdown in communication between the two girls with Rachel ultimately feeling that Dannii is failing her."

A crisis meeting was apparently held between the pair following Hylton's disappointing performance last weekend.

The source continued: "It has been bubbling under for weeks, ever since Dannii gave her the Robyn track 'With Every Heartbeat' to sing which didn't really complement her amazing voice.

"But it was the final straw when she ended up in the bottom two. She demanded Dannii had to go."

Minogue will be left with Spanish-born singer Ruth Lorenzo and single dad Daniel Evans in her category.

Previously, an X Factor spokesperson had said: "There have been problems with Rachel and Dannii but they're working together to resolve the situation."