Britney Spears walks off X Factor after Crazy cover

Britney Spears briefly left the set of The X Factor auditions in North Carolina on Monday (09Jul12) after a contestant, dressed in drag, destroyed her pop hit (You Drive Me) Crazy.

The Toxic hitmaker was checking out talent as a judge on the hit show, alongside Demi Lovato, Antonio 'L.A.' Reid and Simon Cowell, when she was left dumbstruck by the disastrous tribute in Greensboro.

Music mogul Reid appeared to feel Spears' pain during the audition - he patted the singer on the back as Lovato and Cowell tried to hide their disbelief by covering their faces with their hands, reports People.com.

Spears then stepped out of the room to compose herself. Lovato and Reid joined her, leaving Cowell to address the male pop wannabe.

He told the aspiring singer, "I don't think she (Spears) quite understood your tribute."

Spears returned to her seat moments later and added, "I really respect the tribute. It was really nice."

It's not the first time the pop superstar has walked off The X Factor set during the audition process - she abruptly left the stage in May (12) after another contestant butchered her song Hold It Against Me, but Spears insisted she was "just taking a little break".