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Dermot O'Leary left X Factor fans mocking the show yesterday after he made an official apology after judge Tulisa called a contestant a 'MILF'.
Tulisa had used the word - which means 'mother I'd like to f***' to describe mum-of-two Melanie Masson at 10.30pm on the Saturday night show - well after the 9pm watershed.
"You are in full MILF mode!" she told the wild-haired Scottish singer after she'd belted out Paloma Faith's Never Tear Us Apart.
But producers did not approve and instructed host Dermot to issue an apology - which he duly did.
"I want to apologise for the language Tulisa used," he said. "Naughty, naughty but that's why we love her."
Viewers were quick to take to Twitter to mock the show's over-zealous approach, calling it 'ridiculous' and that the 'world had gone mad' if MILF couldn't be said at 10.30 at night.
Producers perhaps later realised they had been a bit heavy-handed, with the Sun claiming 'red-faced show insiders' later admitting they had been too cautious'.
But swear word or compliment debate aside, Tulisa's praise for Melanie was fruitless - the 44-year-old full time mum from Glasgow was kicked off the show last night after losing out to boyband District 3 in the bottom two sing-off.
What a storm in a tea-cup. MILF is just used as a term of affection, isn't it? Does anyone ever think of what it actually stands for?
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