FORMER X-Factor star and Worcestershire native Cher Lloyd is among a number of famous faces to hit out at supposed “exploitation” involving the show.

Miss Lloyd, from Malvern, released a video on TikTok in which she sang about her experience competing on the show in 2010.

In the song, shared widely across social media, she said: “How could I be so naive? They sold me the dream just to exploit me.”

This follows on from other former acts, including Jedward and Rebecca Ferguson, who hit out at Simon Cowell over the way their contracts were handled once the show had ended.

Irish pair Jedward said the music producer was “nothing but a bad facelift” in a series of tweets attacking the way theirs and One Direction’s contracts had apparently been handled.

On their joint Twitter account, they wrote: “The biggest regret in life was not telling the judges on X Factor to f*** off.”

In an interview last year, Miss Lloyd, who attended The Chase School and Dyson Perrins, claimed she was pressured to have a made-up relationship to generate publicity and controversy.

In the revealing interview with the Sun, she said she felt like she was “thrown to the wolves”.

The then 26-year-old said after the show “the dream turned into a little bit of nightmare,” as she faced daily online abuse, including racism and death threats.

“I was a naive 16-year-old, who came from such a small shielded town where bad things didn’t happen,” the Want U Back singer said.

“When it came to the world of showbiz and gossip, that’s when it started to crumble. I feel like I was thrown to the wolves and it was so mentally damaging.

“I spent most nights crying in hotel rooms – sure, they were fantastic five-star hotels, but I was so lonely. I thought everyone was out to get me, and ruin whatever dream I had. People say it’s a fast track to success, but it’s also a terrifying one.”

She also credited husband Craig Monk as the one to help her move on, saying “I don’t think I would have made it out if it wasn’t for him.”

And in the interview she speaks about how her life has changed, juggling being a mum to one-year-old daughter Delilah-Rae with her latest comeback that has seen the release of new song Lost.

“I feel probably the most content that I’ve ever felt,” she added.