Tulisa has already shown she is not to be messed with during the new series of the X Factor, dealing crisply with an underwhelming Pink impersonator.
Viewers were left shocked in the first show when contestant Zoe launched an angry tirade - throwing her microphone, smashing a camera and hurling abuse at the judges and production staff - following her rejection.
But Tulisa, watching the bizarre spectacle with members of the press earlier in the week, commented coolly: "There is always going to be the odd person who throws a hissy fit."
Asked if she was a bit worried, Tulisa replied: "I didn't fear for my safety, I feared for Louis. I thought she seemed like quite a tough cookie."
Zoe let fly with an angry tirade
Zoe's anger erupted after she was sent home for impersonating Pink instead of finding her own style. She accused the judges of making her sing a Pink song, a claim that Tulisa denied: "We gave her two songs but she came out looking like Pink, not even Tom Jones could save her."
She added: "Nobody gets told what to sing - it's their audition at the end of the day. But looking at the way she was dressed she was pretty much set on doing the whole Pink thing, so everything she said was kind of contradictory."
Judge Louis Walsh agreed: "She came on stage looking like Pink and acting like Pink."
Speaking at the press launch of X Factor series 9 on Thursday, Tulisa said she wasn't concerned about Zoe: "I thought she seemed like a strong character from the level of aggression she was giving off.
"At the end of the day, there is always going to be the odd person who throws a hissy fit. Just because one person can't control their temper, I don't think it's a reason to say 'we need to think about the emotional stability.' She chose to bring those issues to the stage."
Back in June, soon after the incident, Zoe told The Mirror: "I lost it and said they were a bunch of c**ts. I want to apologise to the judges and to the audience - but they set me up to humiliate me."
Her dad Glen Smith, a Tom Jones impersonator, added: "They wanted a girl with attitude and that's what they got. They even chose the song for her but then the judges all gave her a 'no'.
"They shattered a young girl's dreams of being a star all for the sake of reviving the flagging viewing figures."
What did you make of Zoe's tantrum? Did the judges treat her fairly?
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