After reports surfaced about Britney Spears and Demi Lovato's untimely exit from the X Factor USA panel on July 10, the pair have now opened up about their decision to walk away mid-auditions.

During the auditions round in Greensboro, North Carolina earlier this week a contestant attempted to wow the judges with a rendition of Spears' well-loved hit single, '(You Drive Me) Crazy'.

Unfortunately his version of the song was less than pleasing to the ears of the panelists and his performance prompted both Spears and Lovato to head backstage for an unannounced break.

Speaking after the show's taping, the 'Till The World Ends' pop sensation explained that once Lovato got up from the table she decided it was time to leave as well: "She was like, 'Let's go!' And I was like, 'OK.' It was our dinner break, anyway. I usually can't look (at contestants) when they're bad."

Lovato added: "I was really uncomfortable because I was like, 'Oh my gosh, he's on the floor crying because he thinks he's done such a good job.' I felt so bad. I laughed at first, but then I felt bad."

Fellow judge LA Reid also talked about the audition and described it as "horrific": "It was just horrible. The truth is he was horrific. We just couldn't take it anymore. Simon has a little more tolerance and more patience than we do."

Watch the backstage interview below: