'X Factor' Laura White controversy: Louis Walsh stands by decision

'X Factor' judge Louis Walsh has stood by his decision to vote contestant Laura White off the show following outrage from fans - and the UK's Culture Secretary Andy Burnham describing the decision as "very harsh" in parliament.

White went head-to-head with contestant Ruth Lorenzo on Saturday (November 8) on the ITV show, with Walsh subsequently dismissing her despite her being the hot favourite. Around 12,000 fans have signed a petition to have her reinstated since.

However, Walsh told The Sun, "No one in the bottom two ever wins the 'X Factor', that's just a fact," referring to the fact that White had got herself into a position to be voted off by being one of two contestants who gained the least amount of fan votes on the night.

"Laura was never going to win," he added. "Laura was in the bottom two. Her performance was bad and her styling was even worse. She didn't get the public support and got three votes from the judges."

White responded to her dismissal by telling ITV: "It's been really tough. I've had such amazing comments for so many weeks from the judges and when that happened I thought, 'Goodness me, where do I go from here?'.

She added: "I was actually quite happy with my performance on Saturday. I can't believe I've gone."

White's mentor on the show, Cheryl Cole, referring to her dismissal, said on ITV2 that "I think it might have been a bit tactical if I'm totally honest with you".