LeAnn Rimes has reportedly blamed her bizarre "X Factor" performance on her 13-year-old duet partner Carly Sonenclar and the family of the former contestant is said to be furious.
(PHOTO) Twitter: @leannrimesLeAnn Rimes poses in a Twitter photoOn Thursday Rimes denied claims that she was under the influence during her duet with Sonenclar. The troubled singer, who sang her hit song "How Do I Live," insisted her poor performance was due to her attempt to "help" Sonenclar who she allegedly claimed had difficulty reaching some notes, according to TMZ.com.
"I was trying to help this 13-year-old girl who was having some trouble with the song," Rimes reportedly told TMZ.com although she has since retracted her statement.
Sonenclar's family is said to be livid over Rimes' statement to TMZ.com because they believe that the teen was thrown under the bus by the country music singer.
Although Rimes claims that she did not make the statement to TMZ her attorney, Larry Stein, appeared to support the theory that Sonenclar was the reason behind Rimes' strange performance.
"LeAnn was not performing the way she would normally perform, because she was on stage with a young girl," Stein reportedly said.
The singer, who recently spent 30 days in rehab, appeared to stumble on stage during the duet and at one point she grabbed an unsuspecting Sonenclar's arm before throwing her hair in the teen's face.
Sonenclar, who did not win the overall singing competition despite being a crowd favorite, was hailed for her performance with fans applauding her vocal talent while Rimes received widespread criticism on social networking site Twitter.
"LeAnn Rimes looked and sounded drunk. I would be too if I had to sing with a 13 year old that sings my song better than me. #xfactor," Jay Smolko tweeted.
"LeAnn Rimes was GOD AWFUL 2nite. Shaky vocals, kept missing her cue, singing over Carly, trying to upstage her, messy hair, looked drunk," GracieJean Kelly tweeted.
"Was Leann Rimes drunk?! Swaying but not to the beat and way off key = SUI (singing under the influence) #xfactorusa," Suzie Seagraves tweeted.
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