An X Factor contestant who was accused of lying to the judges by his own father has revealed a more traumatic upbringing than the one he supposedly fabricated for the TV cameras.

Alan Turner, 23, has told of being abused as a child and abandoned by both of his parents by the time he was four.

The call centre worker from Barnsley told The Mirror that his father, Alan senior, walked out on his mother when he was 18 months old after finding her in bed with another women.

When he was four, Turner’s mother gave him to the foster parent who raised her. He now suspects her decision may have been a reaction to finding he had been sexually abused.

"When I was four my mum went out for the night and left me with a gay male friend who sexually abused me. Now I'm older I feel that could be one of the reasons she felt she was not capable of looking after me.”

Turner was accused of lying by his father after he appeared on last Saturday’s episode of the ITV show telling how he had been fostered and wanted to get to know his biological family.

He told the judges: “I'm hopefully going to win the X Factor to prove to my real family that I'm not a waste of space and to prove [myself] to my foster parent and make her proud of me."

He said that he was put into foster care at the age of four and that he had "always wanted to get to know my real family".

"I know it sounds a bit corny but I just want a real family, just to know my real mum and my real dad and for them just to say 'we love you no matter what'."

His father publicly accused Turner of lying to gain favour with the judges and audience, insisting he was not a long-lost father but knew his son “inside out”.

“It is utterly untrue. I am astonished – he absolutely knows who we are and where we are. Over the years that have gone by I have seen him and spent time with him.”

“I am still his dad and I will always support him, but I just want to ask him why he is lying like this.”

He also said Turner was not put in foster care but raised by his grandmother.

But today the contestant explained his “grandmother” was not biologically related to him, but was his mother’s foster carer who later became his own.

He also said that when he had commented that he wanted to get to know his family, he meant that he wanted to get to know them properly, as he had seen his father once when he was seven and again when he was 21.

The X Factor has dismissed Alan senior’s accusations, and ruled out removing Turner from the show.

A spokesperson said: “Alan categorically denies that he has made up any story regarding his upbringing and refutes the claims which have been made.

"Alan has at no point apologised to producers and his position in the show has never been in jeopardy."

She added that in telling the "very complicated story" about his family life "some confusion and doubt has been raised about Alan's relationship with his biological parents, which is unfortunate".

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