[Headie]

X Factor's Tamera Foster 'targeted' after standing up to racist bullies:- Singer confronted girl who hurled insults at pal about the colour of her skin

"Tamera has been labelled a bully but actually she was just sticking up for her friend"

X Factor sensation Tamera Foster has revealed how she stood up to a racist bully who was verbally abusing her friend.

Tamera - who performed Chaka Khan's Ain't Nobody on last night's show - was travelling with a pal on a train when a girl hurled insults about the colour of her skin.

The singer confronted the girl and lashed out in a rage, on Boxing Day, in Gravesend, Kent, last year. Two months later she voluntarily attended the town's police station and was cautioned.

Now Tamera has told friends she was targeted after standing up to racist bullies.

A friend of the 16-year-old said: "It was awful. The girl said racist things about Tamera's friend. She was caught in a very tricky situation.

"Many people just turn a blind eye to it and ignore racism but Tamera isn't one of those people. She was just sticking up for her pal.

"There's no excuse for lashing out the way she did and she regrets it. But she was so angry and hearing those comments was horrible.

"Tamera has been labelled a bully but actually she was just sticking up for her friend."

Last month Tamera - hailed as X Factor's new Leona Lewis - faced a backlash after she boasted about smoking marijuana laced with the Class A narcotic PCP.

When it emerged she had been cautioned following last year's row she apologised for her behaviour.

She said: "I'm really sorry for what happened. I lashed out when I shouldn't have. It was a really stupid move.

"I'm not a violent person. The police weren't called to the scene. Their involvement came a few months later. I'm not sure what sparked that but I got a phone call from the police asking for an interview."

Now a relative of the girl who hurled racist abuse at the star has set up a Facebook page called Tamera Foster X Factor Bully. It has 313 likes and encourages users to get the South Londoner booted off the show.

It also falsely claims Tamera was charged by police for common assault.

But one user, Marcus Window, hit back and wrote: "Interesting how the people commenting on this page don't realise that with these nasty comments it just amounts to bullying. Bullies campaigning against bullying!!!!!!

"I'm glad this page has a very small following as I wouldn't want to be mates with the bullying types on here. She has apologised for her disgusting behaviour."

Now Tamera hopes she can to put the incident behind her.

She said: "I think people look at me as not a positive person and I don't really like that because I have changed a lot and grown a lot."

Full Article: http://www.mirror.co.uk/tv/tv-news/x...#ixzz2hbnPyNlM

So this is the reason behind the police caution then. Glad we got to hear her side of the story and not just the supposed 'victim' that sold her story to the papers.