The judge, who previously mentored on X Factor USA alongside Simon Cowell, confessed that she struggled to block out her personal feelings when it came to dropping acts from the reality series.
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"Anyone who saw me in the US, will have seen that it's really hard for me to let people go," she said.
"I'm an artist first and a judge second."
She continued: "I'm very empathetic to how they're feeling and I don't want to let them go. It breaks my heart to see them leave and it's the hardest part of the competition."
Scherzinger is looking after the Boys category this year and her three acts are Jahmene Douglas, James Arthur and Rylan Clark.
The X Factor Live Shows start this weekend on ITV1.
Watch Tulisa Contostavlos and the Girls discussing the Live Shows below:
Photo gallery - X Factor finalists at the Corinthia Hotel:
The X Factor 2012: Finalists Carolynne Poole, Kye Sones and Melanie Masson arriving at their new home, The Corinthia Hotel
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