Many tabloids and fans have hit out at X Factor winner Leon Jackson for cancelling gigs over the New Year due to tonsillitis.

Leon is said to upset by the criticism, and feels it is unfair as he is genuinely to ill to sing.

“Leon has come under a lot of criticism for cancelling gigs but he is very ill,” one pal told the Sunday Mail. “His doctor has told him he must stop using his voice until he is fully better or he will have to have the op. In singers, this can lead to a permanent change in voice and difficulty in pronouncing some words.

“Leon feels miserable. He’s been accused of being lazy and has spent days in bed feeling very poorly. He feels he has been unnecessarily attacked.”