Britney Spears Storms Out On The First Day Of 'X Factor' Auditions

One tip to wannabes on The X Factor in the US - don't sing one of Britney Spears' songs.

The pop superstar sat down for her first day as a judge on the American version of the top talent show in Texas on Thursday, looking like pop perfection in a pink mini-dress.

Fans had feared the singer would not be competent enough to deal with the pressures of endless auditions and the media circus surrounding the series.

But Britney wowed the audience by cracking jokes and getting involved in a fiery dispute with fellow judge Demi Lovato.

Seated on the right-hand side of Simon Cowell, like Cheryl Cole, Dannii Minogue and Paula Abdul before her, Brit seemed at ease dishing out advice.

That was until one group butchered her hit Hold It Against Me, which prompted the star to storm out, according to TMZ.com.

A show insider tells the site that the pop superstar just "needed a break".

There was a lot of wrangling involved to get Britney to sign her huge £9m contract, with her team wanting to ensure she was ready to get back into the spotlight.

But reports stated that the star saw The X Factor as her chance to put her meltdown years behind her.

A source told E! Online: "She's ready for this. She can't wait to sit down next to Simon at the judges' table and give this everything she's got. She is excited about showing the world that she can do this, and do this well. This is the perfect next stage in her career. Both Britney and Simon are very excited to work together."