It seems that Tulisa Contostavlos has a hard time establishing herself, when she’s up against an older woman.

The former N-Dubz star was said to be upset when claims were made that Mel B’s guest judging stint on the X Factor UK was some sort of trial and that Simon Cowell is considering hiring the former Spice Girl as a full time panel member next year.

It was reported that the music mogul had wanted to mum of three to replace Kelly Rowland on the British show in 2012 but he was forced to hire Nicole Scherzinger instead, as Mel was already committed to the Australian X Factor.

A show source told Closer magazine that Contostavlos wasn’t too happy to hear the news and is worried that Mel joining the judging panel would eventually push her out. The insider said:

“Tulisa isn’t happy that Mel B cold join the panel.”

“She and Mel sometimes don’t get on and Tulisa fears if producers pick Mel, there may not be enough room for both of them.

“Tulisa won last year’s show with Little Mix and seems to be putting huge pressure on herself to win again.”

However it isn’t just Mel that Tulisa has a problem with, as the supposed source also reported that the ‘Young’ hitmaker is also a little unsure of herself around Pussycat Dolls star Nicole Scherzinger.

The American star has a stunning voice and a face to match and insiders claim that her perfect image often makes Contostavlos feel a little ‘overshadowed.’

They added:

“Nicole and Tulisa are getting on pretty well – but Tulisa sometimes feels a bit overshadowed by Nicole.”

We think Tulisa can certainly hold her own against Nicole and while the ‘Poison’ hitmaker may be great to look at, she can often come across as a little wishy washy on screen.

Mel B is another matter though and we suspect that if she did join the X Factor UK panel, she would end up overshadowing everybody else, with her honest putdowns and her mad facial expressions.

Do you think Contostavlos is right to be concerned? Leave your comments below…