FORMER N DUBZ member Tulisa Contostavlos has shared a public statement in which she denied comments directed at Misha B had anything to do with race.

Responding to former X Factor star Misha B’s account of the mistreatment she faced during her time on the show, Tulisa said she regretted publicly calling the singer out.

“I accept that she is entitled to her opinion and I’m sorry if she feels that that situation was racially motivated.

“I can only speak for my side of the situation which I can say it 100 per cent was not,” Contostavlos said in a video posted on her Instagram account.

She added: “One thing I regret is calling her out publicly the way that I did.”

The former X Factor judge said that there had been an “accumulation of things that Misha had done to other contestants” before she criticised her attitude.

She said: “It’s nothing to do with race. I didn’t wake up and go I want to cause some drama for Misha B because of the colour of her skin.”

Contostavlos went on to say that Misha B did “some things” that she felt she needed to “pull her up on” and said the contestant’s actions had left other competitors on the show in tears.

She did not share details of the alleged incidents.

Over the weekend, Misha B said rumours were spread about her during her time on the show and that this led to problems with fellow contestants.

The claim that information about Misha B was fabricated echoed an admission by Gary Barlow in his autobiography A Better Me.

“About half an hour before the show goes live, the producers would come in and they’d go, ‘Oh my God. That Misha. She’s a bully. Can’t believe it. She is such a bully. In fact, you know what? You should say it. You should say it on air. She’s bullied everyone all week’,” Barlow wrote.

Reiterating that what she said was not motivated by Misha B being a black, Contostavlos said: “I owe my life to black people and to black culture from my career, to the music I make, to my very being who I am as a person…I do not have a racist bone in my body.”

On Sunday, Misha B went live on her Instagram account where she recalled her experience of being a contestant on the singing competition.

The 28-year-old revealed that she was left suicidal, diagnosed with post traumatic stress disorder and has been in therapy since 2012.

She also made specific reference to an incident in which Tulisa referred to her as “feisty” and “mean”.

X Factor has also responded to the comments Misha B made during her Instagram live.

A spokesperson for the show told The Voice: “We are very concerned to hear Misha’s comments regarding her experience on The X Factor in 2011. We are currently looking into this matter and are reaching out to Misha to discuss the important issues she has raised. The welfare of contestants is our priority and we are committed to diversity and equality.”