Nicole Scherzinger says she is the peacemaker when arguments erupt on The X Factor panel.

The former Pussycat Doll sits at the coveted table of the hit TV talent series alongside Gary Barlow, Tulisa and Louis Walsh.

Last weekend, all hell broke loose on the live show when Barlow accused Tulisa of having "fag-ash" breath, with the N-Dubz star retaliating with a "red wine breath" snipe.

Scherzinger told Barlow to behave after the catty comment.

She told The Mirror: “I am trying to keep this one, big happy family but it can be hard. When Gary and Tulisa had that pathetic argument last week, it was my job to try to keep the peace.

“After he said her breath smelt, I went up and gave him a slap on the wrists and told him he can’t speak to women like that, so he went and apologised.”

Scherzinger is mentor to Rylan Clarke, Jahmene Douglas and James Arthur, and is proud of all her acts.

She said: “I don’t care what people say about Rylan, he’s my boy. He can win this competition, he can be a star and I am so proud of him for what he has had to put up with but the public support for him has been incredible."

“Jahmene is a sweetheart too, he has had a tough time but he is so talented. It’s crazy to think he was in a the supermarket for a year-and-a-half with a voice like that but everybody great comes from somewhere.”