X-Factor bosses have admitted that they were over-cautious after asking Dermot O’Leary to apologise to viewers for the use of the MILF acronym.

The Irish presenter was forced to say sorry by producers after Tulisa described Melanie Masson as a MILF (mother I’d like to f***) following her performance of INXS’ 'Never Tear Us Apart' during the end of Saturday night’s live show.

He said: "I want to apologise for the language Tulisa used. Naughty, naughty, but that's why we love her."

However, after audiences took to various social networking sites to describe the apology as completely unnecessary, a senior executive has since told The Sun "It was a bit over-cautious and over-sensitive."