Nicole stormz to rapper’s defence

Nicole Scherzinger has hit back at people accusing hip-hop star Stormzy of selling out by appearing on The X Factor.

She told us: “Are they accusing Gwen Stefani, Pharrell, Alicia Keys and all the other iconic, legendary artists out there of selling out? Come on…

“Whatever perceptions people have of him, they are going to see another side to him on this show and love him even more.”

Nicole, 39, one of the judges on the ITV singing contest, added: “He’s so smart, has a great personality, he’s really grounded… What’s wrong with sharing that with people? That doesn’t take away any of his credibility.”

Stormzy, 24, above, performed his new single on The X Factor on Sunday.