Cheryl Cole has blasted her fellow X Factor judge Simon Cowell, describing him as “annoying” and “rude”.

In an interview with the BBC, the Girls Aloud admitted that her relationship with Cowell often  becomes strained backstage.

“He starts getting annoying and saying nasty things. It gets quite heated backstage, and quite competitive,” she said.

“I don’t feel like I’m a competitive person. I feel like the best person should win the X Factor, whether they’re in my category or not.

“But he’s so competitive and so rude sometimes that I find myself getting caught up in it.”

Cole's comments come just 24 hours after Cowell was reported to have criticised her and fellow judge Dannii Minogue for getting caught up in a style battle.

The music mogul is said to be concerned that the pair's outfits could eclipse the talent contest.