Apparently being Cheryl Cole’s niece is NOT enough to guarantee a singer a spot on the X Factor.

The Geordie singer may have once judged on the ITV show and been told that the door will always be open for her return, however yesterday Chez’s niece Melissa Armstrong tried out and was rejected by this year’s panel.

The 21 year old singer crooned Cole’s single ‘Promise This’ for Gary Barlow, Tulisa Contostavlos, Louis Walsh and newly confirmed judge Nicole Scherzinger, when they visited Newcastle yesterday.

However the pretty singer failed to make it through to bootcamp, after Gary and Tulisa told her she doesn’t have the potential to make it big as a music star.

The pair thought they had seen much more talented hopefuls in the Geordie city, however Nicole and Louis weren’t so negative and were keen to give her another try. With the panel split down the middle, Melissa failed to advance through the competition.

Armstrong was gutted by the result, as she revealed that she has held off auditioning for a long time, because she couldn’t try out when her cousin was on the show.

The Daily Star reports that Tulisa said: “You have a sweet voice but it’s a no. I’m dreading the next time I see Cheryl.”

Listen to Mel sing below and tell us if you think the judges were right to turn her away….