Lucy Spraggan says James Arthur ''isn't a homophobe''.

The singer was a contestant on 'The X Factor' UK in 2012 - the year the 'Impossible' hitmaker won the competition - and the two have clashed after he used the word ''q****'' in a track.

Lucy - who posted a bitter exchange the pair shared over text after she called him out and branded him an ''a**h***'' for his language - has now spoken out to clarify her opinion on James and their row.

Writing on her Facebook account, she said: ''There has been a lot of discussion around my tweets to James Arthur last week and I'd like to make my views clear.

''This is a sensitive subject and I want to clarify that, whilst I know James isn't a homophobe and I didn't intend for my tweets to be read that way, I did want to confront an issue that I feel really strongly about and which is what I had hoped to highlight.

''Homophobic language has sadly become so engrained into everyday conversation and people don't realise the discriminating and devastating effect it can have.

''Stonewall are carrying out an amazing campaign at the moment about the use of language which is something I fully support and I hope everyone takes the time to look into.''