Mel and Nat’s vicious backstage brawl

The nastiness spills off the set of the talent show as feisty judges Mel B and Natalie Bassingthwaighte unsheath their claws.

For months, the tension between The X-Factor judges Mel B and Natalie Bassingthwaighte has been building – and as the competition heated up on-stage, things grew increasingly nasty backstage. Now, with the finale of the Seven Network series only a week away, the divas no longer even pretend to be civil to each other.

On camera, the exchanges between Mel and Natalie, both 37, have become so catty fans say they’re ruining the show. “Between the banshees wailing and the digital enhancements, I haven’t managed to actually hear anyone’s voice yet,” one fan sniped. After another show punctuated with bitchy back-and-forth, Nat let rip on the Kyle & Jackie O radio show on Sydney’s 2DayFM. “I’m sick of being bullied,” she said. “I feel like standing up for myself… there’s a right way to say it [criticism] instead of being so feisty.”

Early on in the series, producers worked hard to play down any animosity, suggesting their on-air antics were all part of the fun. “We bicker and are feisty on the desk, but when we’re done we’re all mates,” fellow judge Ronan Keating insisted earlier this year.Now that things have become so dire between Nat and Mel, their co-stars are literally lost for words. “I’d love to say it’s all for TV,” Guy Sebastian said last week on Nova FM. “But I really don’t think they do like each other at all.”Even smooth talker Ronan, 35, couldn’t defuse the situation. “Yeah, they don’t get on… It’s tough,” he told Mix FM. “We all have our egos and attitudes… and girls are girls… they rub each other up the wrong way and sparks fly.”

From the beginning it was clear that self-confessed exhibitionist Mel has grated on Nat. “Mel’s an attention-seeker – she had to be to stand out in a group like the Spice Girls,” a music industry source says. “On the other hand, Nat isn’t used to sharing the spotlight. She was the face of Rogue Traders and then the host of So You Think You Can Dance Australia. She’s used to being top dog.”