Mary Byrne 'nearly quit X Factor'

Mary Byrne reportedly found being on The X Factor so difficult at the start that she nearly quit the show.

According to the programme's vocal coach Savan Kotecha, the 50-year-old felt out of place because of her age.

Kotecha explained to The Sun: "It was very difficult for her in the beginning.

"As a middle-aged woman, she didn't feel like she fitted in with all these young kids who were bouncing off the walls. She kept saying, 'I don't feel like I belong here'."

However, Kotecha added that Byrne has since become determined to succeed.

"I sat her down and we talked. She's a very valuable commodity in the music industry. People her age are the only ones back buying albums."