Cher Lloyd: 'X Factor messed with my head'

British pop star Cher Lloyd has taken aim at the reality TV show that launched her career, insisting bosses on The X Factor made her feel "hurt and angry" by trying to change her image.

The Want U Back hitmaker shot to fame when she appeared on the 2010 season of the talent contest in the U.K. aged just 16, and she has since enjoyed chart success on both sides of the Atlantic.

However, the singer has now hit out at The X Factor producers, accusing them of keeping her in the dark about their plans for her career, and she is adamant she would never let a child of hers take part in the show.

Lloyd tells British magazine Fabulous, "I felt like people thought there was something wrong with who I was. I'd go into a room and they'd talk about how they needed to change the way I dressed and did my make-up. No one explained anything to me and it made me feel really hurt and very angry.

"I behaved badly because that was the only way I could deal with it. If I had a 16-year-old daughter, I wouldn't let her do a show like that. I wasn't ready and it just messed with my head."

However, Lloyd is adamant she is delighted to still be working with show creator Simon Cowell and his Syco record label, adding, "I'm still part of the Syco family. We had our differences in terms of my direction, but Simon likes the way I stand up for what I believe in."