An aspiring pop star who is joint favourite to win a national singing competition has turned the tables on internet bullies by exposing their negative messages on Twitter.

Ruth Brown, 20, from West Norwood, who received a standing ovation for her performance on BBC One’s The Voice on Saturday, began re-tweeting the abuse, known as “trolling”, she was receiving from her critics on Monday night.

Most of the tweets referred to her size, but others mocked her ethnicity or even her singing voice, with one user saying: “Ruth from the Voice sounds like she has fat stuck in her throat”.

Responding to the abuse, the talented songstress, who is being mentored by Welsh crooner Tom Jones, tweeted: “Ok I’m big, get over it.”

She later wrote: "Not gonna lie those comments did hurt but I'm getting my dream and have amazing support. Thank you all."

Her 15,000 followers then began tweeting back at the cyber trolls, accusing them of being “jealous”.

One wrote: “I just saw those hideous tweets. Can’t believe how disgusting people are. I think you look and sound brilliant. Love you.”

Another said: “Ruth I am so sorry you are getting these racist rude comments. Please know we are not like that. Hold your head up!”

In response, former Voice contestant Aundrea Nyle, who was eliminated during the competition’s Battle rounds, posted: “Guys thank you showing Ruth Brown she has lots of support and love.”

Miss Brown later deleted the re-tweeted messages after BBC bosses ordered her to take down comments which contained offensive language.

A spokeswoman said: "You cannot have things like that when you have kids following you."

Miss Brown, an former pupil at Saint Cecilia’s school in Wandsworth, has previously spoken about how she was bullied every day by classmates because of her size.

She said her dream after the show would be to tour with large orchestras like Dame Shirley Bassey, as she doesn’t think she fits the pop star stereotype.

“I would like everyone to know who I am but in the sense that I am not a normal singer who you see on TV,” she said.

Miss Brown, whose father died in December, received high praise from the talent show’s celebrity judging panel on Saturday.

Shortly afterwards, bookies made her odds on favourite to win the show at 3/1 along with Earlsfield singing teacher Jazz Ellington.

Her mentor Jones said she had a talent he had “never heard before” after hearing her version of Oleta Adams’ Get Here.

Speaking about her father’s death on the show, she said: “Before [my dad] died he was trying to help me with my singing career.

“I told him I wanted to do The Voice. He said do whatever makes you happy. I know he would want me to give it everything. [That] has helped me through a lot of bad things.”

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