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X Factor hopeful Lucie Slater sobbed today as she was spared jail for maiming her ex-boyfriend.

A court heard that Slater had thrust a glass into William Scott’s face in a rage when she saw a message to him from another girl on Facebook.

The assault left the part-time model and DJ with a deep, disfiguring, wound, which cut an artery and caused him to lose control of nerves in his face.

Slater, 21, had been “euphoric” when her trio Quantro got to the bootcamp stage of the ITV1 show.

But because of what happened they were thrown off.

Newcastle crown court was told Slater had gone to Mr Aitken’s home last June.

As they drank wine on his bed she came across an entry in his Facebook account from another female.

Prosecutor Paul Rowland said: “Miss Slater had hold of a glass and hit him on the cheek.”

She hit Mr Aitken again, without the glass, and hurled the laptop.

(Image: PA)

After realising he was seriously hurt, she took him to hospital where she claimed he’d fallen down stairs.

She later said she had thrown the glass at a wall and Mr Aitken must have been hit by a shard.

She admitted wounding on the basis she forgot she had hold of the glass when she lashed out.

Recorder Toby Hedworth QC sentenced Slater, of Ryton, Gateshead, to 51 weeks’ jail, suspended for two years and 120 hours’ unpaid work.

He told her: “The reality is you, in drink, lost your temper.”

X Factor said the group could not continue without Slater at that stage in the contest, but they could re-audition next year.

Mr Aitken, who lost his business and modelling career because of his injuries, said: “I still love her and I want to know why she did it.

"I really did not think she was capable of something like that.

"We are not speaking now but there’s so much to say.”