Rhydian's parents slam "harridan" Sharon

X Factor judge Sharon Osbourne has been branded a "two-faced old harridan" by Rhydian Roberts' parents.

Osbourne seemed to take a disliking to opera singer Rhydian at the boot camp stage of the competition, claiming that he was "arrogant" and "revolting".

In last night's live show, Sharon described Roberts as "strange" and "weird" when she was asked to comment on his performance, before demanding to see his chest.

However, Rhydian's parents have accused Sharon of messing with their son's mind by humiliating him in public and praising him in private.

"Sharon's a hypocritical old harridan. She has the nerve to slag our son off in front of the cameras and then, when they're in private, she tells him he sings beautifully and she hopes that he wins," Rhydian's father Malcom told the News of the World.

"The other day she even gave him a big hug off camera and told him she loved him. She's completely two-faced. Rhydian's still a young man and she's messing with his mind quite unnecessarily. It's doing his head in."

His mother Angela added: "Rhydian told us Sharon Osbourne was winking at him while she was supposedly furious at him. She was ranting for the benefit of the cameras but it's all a fake."

Osbourne claimed that she was quitting the show last night, after two of her three acts received the lowest number of votes from the public.