[MR.K!]

Britain's Got Talent judge Piers Morgan has jumped to Susan Boyle's defence, saying she has been in "floods of tears" this week as the pressures of fame have taken hold.

Piers said red-hot favourite Susan had been suffering from "almost crippling" nerves, and called for people to back off.

The finalist lost her temper in the lobby of the Wembley Plaza Hotel in north London after being "wound up" by two strangers.

Police stationed at the hotel intervened in the situation. Susan, 48, was photographed talking to two police officers in the car park following the incident.

A spokesman for Boyle said: "The police were escorting a journalist from the premises who had been winding Susan up. Susan and her sister were talking to the police telling them what had happened."

Speaking to Nick Ferrari on LBC 97.3 radio, Piers described the church volunteer as "an incredibly sweet, nice, gentle person who has been propelled through this show.

"Suddenly, a month later, she's the biggest star on the planet and I don't say that lightly...

"Anybody who has gone through that incredible transformation is going to be feeling the most unbelievable pressure, not least of which because the final is on Saturday and she knows that everything may rest on that one performance and you could see the nerves almost crippling her on the semi-final show and I just think it's time that everyone slightly backed off...

"Knowing her as I do, she's been incredibly upset this week. She's been in floods of tears."

Piers added that talk of Boyle's hotel outburst had been "massively exaggerated".