X Factor returned on Saturday with 12million viewers and the usual mix of backbiting and hysterical performances  -  and that was just among the judges.

Girls Aloud singer Cheryl Cole, making her debut in place of Sharon Osbourne, walked off in tears at one point and complained of being mentally drained.

Louis Walsh accused Simon Cowell and Dannii Minogue of having cosmetic surgery since the last series. 'I'm the only judge who's had nothing done, not even my teeth,' he said. 'They are still my own.'

Sources spoke of tension backstage between Dannii, 36, and 25-year-old Cheryl, with Miss Minogue feeling slightly upstaged by the younger newcomer.

Rivals? Cheryl Cole's debut as judge is said to have left Dannii Minogue feeling slightly upstaged

For her part, Cheryl was shown saying 'I don't think I can do this' as she refused to take part in judging Nikk Mager, 24, who had auditioned alongside her for Popstars: The Rivals six years ago.

Mager has been singing in working men's clubs since his band Phixx broke up, while Cheryl has found fame with Girls Aloud.

She also said that after ending the dreams of X Factor hopefuls, she 'went home and cried every night'.

One contestant whose dreams were not dashed was Rachel Hylton, a 26-year-old single mother of five who was addicted to crack cocaine at 13 and heroin soon after.

Cowell called the reformed drug addict's performance of Amy Winehouse's song You Know I'm No Good his 'favourite audition so far', adding: 'I absolutely love you. You are just fantastic.'

Breath of fresh air: Rachel Hylton's rendition of an Amy Winehouse song blew the judges away

After the show Hylton told of her life of drug addiction, crime and under-age sex and revealed her heartache at having three of her five children taken into care.

She said she grew up in a stable family in Hackney, East London, but after being expelled from two schools at the age of 11 for violence she spiralled further into trouble.

She said: 'I would run away from home. I lost my virginity when I was 11 to a boy who lived next door. He was 14. I also had sex with older men. I became promiscuous and started to run away more.'

Aged 12, Hylton became pregnant by a 28-year-old drug dealer. 'He introduced me to Ecstasy and crack,' Hylton told the News Of The World.

After the birth, she was sent to one foster home and her son was placed in another as drug addiction took hold of her.

Emotional: Rachel breaks down in tears as she tells of her struggle

At 14, she fell into an abusive three-year relationship with a 27-year-old drug dealer.

She said: 'He introduced me to heroin. Mentally and physically, he used to torture me. He was a nasty piece of work.'

She had a second baby, another boy, when she was 17 and once again saw the child taken into care.

Afterwards, she returned to drugs and when the child's father dumped her, she turned to crime to feed her habit. 'I was a complete addict so I would shoplift, do muggings and commit street robberies.'

At 18 she got her first jail term  -  18 months for attempted burglary. She was pregnant by another drug dealer when she was sent to Holloway Prison and gave birth to a daughter with guards stationed outside the hospital room.

She said: 'They cut the cord and took her away. I didn't get to hold her.' The baby was later adopted.

Loving: Rachel with daughter Tashanee

She was let out of jail but was soon back on drugs and was inside again when she learned she was pregnant once more.

It was at that point that she decided to change her life. Aged 20, she gave birth to her son Tishon and managed to kick drugs.

Eighteen months later she had her fifth child, daughter Tashanee, now four. The father left her when she was two months pregnant.

Hylton now has her own flat and is determined to win the ITV talent show.

'I'm turning my life around,' she said. 'I've always been a singer, it's my natural talent. I'm determined to succeed.'