[Arneldo]

Sharon Osbourne got involved in a furious bust-up with Chris Tarrant in the X Factor studio last night.

The show's judge lost her temper when celebrity guests were invited to pose questions to the panel while the show was off air. Osbourne described Tarrant as a "*******" when he joked about her husband Ozzy's slurred speech, telling her, "Your husband's very articulate, isn't he?"

A furious Sharon hit back: "Don't you dare diss my *******ing family. How dare you say those *******ing things - at least I'm in a *******ing marriage."

An insider told the Sunday Mirror: "Chris was clearly being rude about Ozzy and made a sarcastic comment. Sharon is notoriously protective of all her family and couldn't ignore a comment like that.

"Tensions are running very high on the show. It seems Chris just said the wrong thing at the wrong time and had to face Sharon's wrath."

DS