The X Factor has been on the receiving end of complaints after Ceri Rees' audition for the popular ITV show.

The 54-year-old, who struggled to sing 'I Dreamed A Dream' from Les Miserable and Whitney Houston's 'I Will Always Love You', was rejected by judges Kelly Rowland, Gary Barlow, Tulisa Contostavlos and Louis Walsh.

This was the fourth time for Ceri to audition for the show, which has been running for seven years.

A number of celebrities tweeted about the clip which aired on Sunday (September 18) evening. Lily Cooper (neé Allen) wrote:

"they shouldn't have aired that audition, she's clearly ill"

Lorraine Kelly, a prominent ITV presenter, also criticised the move to broadcast the audition:

"Uncomfy to watch ceri on x factor - she's a poor wee soul"

A spokesperson for The X Factor has said that Ceri was happy about her audition:

"The X Factor is open to everybody to apply and we regularly welcome back contestants who want to audition again. Ceri has been taking singing lessons since she last appeared on the show and she wanted to have her vocals judged by a new panel as she hadn't been successful with the previous line-up. Her audition was the same length as the other key stories we have featured in the series and Ceri has assured the team today that she is happy she auditioned for the show."

Mark Davies, the director of communications at Rethink Mental Illness, said that the producers have to be responsible about their treatment of mental illness:

"While we can't speculate on Ceri's mental health, she does appear vulnerable and it was clear she'd been set up to fail. Producers have a responsibility not to put vulnerable people in the spotlight when it's clear the intention is for the public to ridicule and laugh at them. It could be seen as a form of bullying."

Here is the video of Ceri Rees' audition, which goes on for over seven minutes: