Nicole Scherzinger has defended Jahmene Douglas against claims that he can’t cope with the pressures of the music industry.

The X Factor judge has been mentoring young Jahmene ever since she chose him as one of her final three contestants from this year’s series and we think it’s safe to say that she’s proud of how he’s dealt with it all so far.

Over the last week lots of details have emerged about Jahmene’s troubled past, including stories about his abusive father and the news that he lost a brother a few years ago.

Douglas often appears nervous on the live shows and especially when he is asked to talk on camera, and when a caller asked Nicole if he might struggle to cope with being famous, she insisted:

“If you know anything about his story like I know his story he has survived in the real world, this showbusiness stuff ain’t nothing but a chicken wing to him and he has proved it every week through his performances.”

Jahmene won high praise from the judges last night after his rendition of ‘Say A Little Prayer’ and ended up in tears as the judges raved about his vocal performance.

Tulisa raved:

“You are adorable, all I can say is how amazing you are. Something about you tells me that you’re whole life has been building up to this point. You are supposed to stand on that stage and you deserve it.”

Speaking on The Xtra Factor Nicole says she was bursting with pride as she watched him sing and gushed:

“He comes back even stronger with his confidence. I am so proud of him.”

Check out where Jahmene ranked and who we rated and slated from club classics week in our weekly chart and leave your comments below….