Britain's Got Talent star Susan Boyle has been moved to a "safe house" as she prepares for Saturday's final.
One judge, Piers Morgan, confirmed that she had become so "distraught" at negative media headlines this week that she almost quit the ITV show.
He said the singer from West Lothian was now relaxing with one of her closest friends from Scotland.
A former psychologist for Big Brother said she should be withdrawn from the contest to protect her mental health.
The 48-year-old church volunteer from Blackburn became an international sensation after her performances attracted millions of hits on video sharing websites.
But she is reported to be feeling the pressure, apparently losing her temper with tabloid reporters in the lobby of a hotel in North London.
If Britain's Got Talent was an experiment in any university we would have to draw a line on that experiment
Professor David Wilson
Speaking on BBC Radio, Mr Morgan said he did not believe she would quit the show.
"She had a rocky moment a couple of days ago when she woke up and saw some very negative headlines and suddenly felt the pressure of world attention," he said.
"You have to remember this is someone who has gone from complete anonymity to global stardom in the space of six weeks.
"It's understandable. People should give her a bit of slack. She's 24 hours from the biggest day of her life and she's starting to feel the heat."
The former tabloid editor said Ms Boyle had been reduced to tears several times during the week.
Psychological help
He said psychological and medical help was available to contestants, although he could not say if she had asked for such assistance.
"She is very distraught, to the extent where she packed her bags and was going to leave the show," he said.
"She just didn't see the point of continuing if every time she picked up the newspapers there was another avalanche of abuse."
Responding to his comments, Professor David Wilson, a former psychologist for reality TV show Big Brother, said Ms Boyle should be stopped from going into the final.
He said: "I am amazed by the honesty he showed in revealing the depth of how distraught Susan Boyle is.
"If Britain's Got Talent was an experiment in any university we would have to draw a line on that experiment because ethically we would be putting the person at the heart of that experiment through emotional turmoil.
"It's a duty of care, it's about a moral responsibility. The harrowing week that Piers was describing hasn't been created by the press. The harrowing week has been created by the programme."
One judge, Piers Morgan, confirmed that she had become so "distraught" at negative media headlines this week that she almost quit the ITV show.
He said the singer from West Lothian was now relaxing with one of her closest friends from Scotland.
A former psychologist for Big Brother said she should be withdrawn from the contest to protect her mental health.
The 48-year-old church volunteer from Blackburn became an international sensation after her performances attracted millions of hits on video sharing websites.
But she is reported to be feeling the pressure, apparently losing her temper with tabloid reporters in the lobby of a hotel in North London.
If Britain's Got Talent was an experiment in any university we would have to draw a line on that experiment
Professor David Wilson
Speaking on BBC Radio, Mr Morgan said he did not believe she would quit the show.
"She had a rocky moment a couple of days ago when she woke up and saw some very negative headlines and suddenly felt the pressure of world attention," he said.
"You have to remember this is someone who has gone from complete anonymity to global stardom in the space of six weeks.
"It's understandable. People should give her a bit of slack. She's 24 hours from the biggest day of her life and she's starting to feel the heat."
The former tabloid editor said Ms Boyle had been reduced to tears several times during the week.
Psychological help
He said psychological and medical help was available to contestants, although he could not say if she had asked for such assistance.
"She is very distraught, to the extent where she packed her bags and was going to leave the show," he said.
"She just didn't see the point of continuing if every time she picked up the newspapers there was another avalanche of abuse."
Responding to his comments, Professor David Wilson, a former psychologist for reality TV show Big Brother, said Ms Boyle should be stopped from going into the final.
He said: "I am amazed by the honesty he showed in revealing the depth of how distraught Susan Boyle is.
"If Britain's Got Talent was an experiment in any university we would have to draw a line on that experiment because ethically we would be putting the person at the heart of that experiment through emotional turmoil.
"It's a duty of care, it's about a moral responsibility. The harrowing week that Piers was describing hasn't been created by the press. The harrowing week has been created by the programme."
No pictures, right?
