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By DAILY MAIL REPORTER
Smiling through the pain: Katie Waissel is apparently finding it difficult to bond with her fellow X Factor contestantsShe has upset fans of The X Factor and her fellow contestants.
So if Katie Waissel entered the ITV talent show dreaming of popularity, it seems she has some way to go.
The 24-year-old is said to have become one of reality TV’s most unpopular wannabes after she was accused of fabricating a sex scandal in an attempt to stay on the show.
Retail therapy: The 24-year-old was seen out shopping in Covent Garden in a break from rehearsalsMiss Waissel, from Pinner, North-West London, was already a target for X Factor devotees after it emerged she had a record deal in the U.S. when she first auditioned for the show.
She then caused uproar after reaching the final stages at the expense of viewers’ favourite Gamu Nhengu.
Fans were yesterday flooding internet forums with angry messages, one labelling Miss Waissel ‘desperate’.
Posing up: Katie, Rebecca and Treyc pose for photographers as they enjoy some shopping together
Dancing in the street: The girl put on a show of unity as they are snapped by photographersSome contestants are also said to think she was behind a story suggesting she enjoyed a fling with Matt Cardle, favourite to win the competition.
Both have agreed their evening had been less romantic than suggested.
Despite Miss Waissel denying she was behind the story, her fellow contestants are said to have frozen her out, refusing to speak to her and even calling her ‘Katie Weasel’.
Now Miss Waissel's mother Diana has entered the row, revealing tension is growing between her daughter and Cher Lloyd, 17.
Sheltered from the rain: Treyc and Katie share an umbrella as they walk along in Covent Garden
Nice moves, girls! Katie and Treyc leap off the ground as they show off their dance movesIn an interview with this week's Heat magazine, out now, Diana Waissel explained: 'Katie’s not confrontational.
'She’s very diplomatic - if she was in a situation, she would walk away. She’s all about karma. She doesn’t like bad karma.
'But you’re talking about two different people. One’s 24 and one’s 17. I think you learn how to handle things in life the older you get.
Controversy: Cher hasn't been seen since she arrived at rehearsals on Monday'Katie likes her time alone. She’ll be quite happy to go into her bedroom and shut the door – it gives her inspiration to write her music when she’s like that.'
Head judge Simon Cowell has now reminded them they must focus solely on the singing contest and not become ‘distracted’ with other matters.
An X Factor source revealed: 'All the remaining contestants have been told to concentrate on the music and their songs.
'They have a lot of hard work to do and they shouldn't be distracted at this stage.'
Playing nice for the camera: Cher and Katie share a hug backstage after Saturday night's X Factor show
Cher is also struggling to strike up a bond with her fellow X Factor contestants, with sources saying Cher's hard-hearted determination to win is alienating her from her competitors.
One told Heat: 'Cher's determined to win it, no matter what. It seems she's deliberately put a wedge between herself and the others. She's not there to make friends.'
'Cher is very much the type to want to be the prettiest and most talented wherever she goes. She started wearing quite a lot of make-up and making her hair big because she got attention. It makes her feel...that no one can mess with her.'
And Cher's ex boyfriend has admitted that Cher and Katie are at loggerheads.
Showing support: X Factor old boys Jedward pose with Treyc, Rebecca and Katie 
Boy oh boy! Jedward also met with One DirectionAlex Wallis, who she split from just after Boot Camp, told Heat: 'Katie, she says, is a bit hit and miss and can be two different people, a bit 50/50.'
This week, Katie has been accused of leaking a story about her and X Factor favourite Matt Cardle getting together to the newspapers in a bid to get more viewers to like her.
It has since transpired that the pair did share a bed - but only while they watched a DVD together.
Here come the girls: Katie shows off a military style, while Rebecca goes for skintight purpleMatt is said to have accused Katie of leaking reports to the papers that they were having a secret affair, and has told her to 'stop making stuff up'.
'I've just come out of a relationship and I'm not about to get into another one right now,' he is reported to have said. 'Especially not with you. You're not my type.'
But Katie's mentor Cheryl Cole was quick to come forward to defend the singer, insisting she would never have leaked a story about herself in an attempt to increase her popularity.
Here come the girls: Belle Amie rocked a Sixties look on Saturday night... and narrowly escaped elimination on SundayShe said: 'She wouldn’t do that. She is such a sweetheart and I think that’s beginning to show. I love our catch-ups in the dressing room.’
Matt isn't the only one to be at the centre of romance rumours, as Cher was previously reported to have struck up a close friendship with One Direction singer Liam Payne.
However, Liam's mother has now come forward to deny the rumours, insisting the teenagers are 'just friends'.
We mean business: Treyc and Aiden get seriousShe told New! magazine: 'There’s nothing in it. Liam has a connection with Cher because she’s a similar age and they’re from a similar part of the country.
'And he gave her a hug when she got through at Boot Camp, which was on film. It got blown out of proportion.'
Katie was seen out today at X Factor rehearsals looking chic and boho in a Urban Outfitters T-shirt, jeans and boots and posed with fellow contestants Rebecca and Treyc as they enjoyed some retail therapy during a break from practise.
However, Cher hasn't been spotted since Monday, when she was seen arriving at rehearsals in an on-trend pair of leopard-print trousers.
source :dailymail [endtext]
