X Factor contestant Samantha Elphick has admitted that she let herself down at the boot camp stage of the show.

Last night, viewers saw Simon Cowell send the 21-year-old mother-of-two home after she delivered a disappointing performance.

“I really let myself down. I know Simon really liked me, because he said so many positive things about my singing and he thought I was a good package,” Samantha told the News of the World.

“I was desperate to impress him and I have never worked as hard in my life as I did during his boot camp. But at the end I messed up my song. It’s been such an emotional rollercoaster I just broke down in tears.”