Cher Lloyd has apologised to former X Factor mentor Cheryl Cole for seemingly questioning her singing ability.

The ‘Want U Back’ star, who finished fourth on the 2010 series under Cole’s guidance, said in a recent radio appearance that she would only perform with the Girls Aloud singer if she sang live and also hinted that she uses Auto-Tune.

In response, Cole wrote on Twitter: “Be Careful who you kick on your way up .. They kick you twice as hard on your way back down.. #unappreciationisugly.”

Lloyd has since attempted to quell their feud by claiming that her “little joke” had gotten out of hand and reaffirming her respect for the ex-judge.

“Basically I said something on radio which I shouldn’t have said,” she explained on Daybreak this morning (February 17). “It wasn’t intended to sound as bad as it did.

“All I was saying is that I would love to perform with her live and then I made a little joke… I think it just got a bit blown out of proportion, so I just want to say sorry if she found that offensive.”

Lloyd continued: “At the end of the day she was the person who got me to where I am today, so if it wasn’t for her I wouldn’t be sat here.”

The 18-year-old also accepted that she should learn to reign herself in, saying: “[Age] is not an excuse, I still should be on top of it. I’m aware that I’m in the public eye now so word vomit is not good.”