Shirlena Johnson 'axed from Miss GB'

Axed X Factor star Shirlena Johnson has reportedly been disqualified from the Miss Great Britain contest for lying about her age.

Pageant bosses discovered that the singer, who claimed to be 28, was in fact 30 after her audition for the talent show aired on ITV1 last week, according to the News of the World.

Johnson has now been banned from future stages of the beauty contest because only women under the age of 30 can enter. She has already competed in the Miss Central London, Miss South East and Miss Windsor regional heats.

Miss Great Britain chief executive Liz Fuller said: "She turned up in a ballerina outfit once and a sari another time. We have a vigorous interview policy to assess our girls. We didn't doubt her mental ability at all. Shirlena is really determined.

"She was a delight, she doesn't give up. We've had girls who have come second in heats who we never see again, but Shirlena was determined to win, she kept coming back!

"She came to three heats even though she never even made the top five. She's strong, ambitious and astute. It's a shame to lose her, though she did apologise."

Johnson was axed from The X Factor earlier this week over fears for her mental health.