X Factor bosses are facing criticism today as it emerges that Ruth Lorenzo ended up in the bottom two last Saturday after they displayed her phone number on screen incorrectly.

Ruth’s mum Eva told The Mirror: “We tried for an hour and a quarter, but the lines were busy all the time.

“Then we suddenly realised the number shown on TV was wrong.”

An X Factor spokeswoman dismissed the significance of the mistake. She said: "During one short sequence, a single digit was missing from Ruth Lorenzo’s vote number.

"The incorrect number, was on screen for less than three seconds, and this was accompanied by an audio announcement giving the correct number. The error would not have changed the outcome of the vote."