MALVERN’S X Factor star Cher Lloyd will be looking to bounce back when she returns to the stage tomorrow (Saturday), after coming perilously close to leaving the show last week.

The talented 17-year-old was one of the two acts who received the least public votes, meaning she had to endure the nerve-shredding experience of ‘singing for survival’.

Her emotionally-charged performance of Shakespeare’s Sister’s Stay was enough to keep her in the competition, with three of the four judges electing to save Cher ahead of her sing-off rival, Londoner Paije Richardson.

The former Dysons student was visibly emotional on Sunday evening, fighting to hold back the tears as the judges gave their decisions.

But her dad Darren has backed her to bounce back strongly on this week’s show.

“We see her after every show, and although she was a little emotional she was fine afterwards,” he said. “She has just got to pick herself up and she will be stronger for this. I’m sure we’ll see her come out fighting this week.”

Cher’s performance of John Lennon’s classic Imagine last Saturday divided the judges opinion. Louis Walsh described it as “lazy”, while Simon Cowell focused most of his attention on the criticising the staging of her performance.

However Cher’s mentor Cheryl Cole was quick to defend her.

She said: “Week after week she’s come out and performed in every single way possible. It was beautiful that you were able to just sit there and sing.

“When you strip it back it just shows that your vocal ability is not to be underestimated.”

Cher will be returning to the screen when X Factor returns on ITV 1 tomorrow evening (Saturday) and her family will once again be travelling down to London to support her.

Mr Lloyd said that even now, several weeks into the competition, they are yet to come to terms with Cher’s celebrity status.

“It’s still very strange for us,” he said. “I honestly don’t think it will fully sink in until after the shows have finished. We are incredibly proud of her.”