Simon Cowell has made the headlines for something other than his famously acerbic tongue.

The X-Factor judge has reportedly helped to save the live of a contestant who auditioned for the TV talent show, by inadvertently alerting her to a potentially fatal lung problem.

After hearing club singer Jacqui Gray audition, Cowell told her she sounded like she was choking and recommended that she visit a doctor.

Fellow judge Sharon Osbourne also urged 46-year-old to take a trip to her local GP to check out the odd rasp in her voice.

Gray saw an ear, nose and throat specialist who diagnosed the potentially life-threatening disease bronchiectasis, which could have killed her, had she not sought help.

She told the Daily Mail: “I went to the doctors the next day and discovered I had a shadow on my lung.

“It was quite scary, in the X-ray it looked like a tree growing inside me.”

Jacqui will have to take steroids and antiobiotics for the rest of her life to fight the disease, which causes mucus, dust and bacteria to build up in the lungs.

“Simon Cowell and Sharon Osbourne saved my life and I would just like to thank them,” she added.

However, despite the fact that she didn’t get through to the boot camp stage of the show, Jacqui still plans to pursue her singing dreams.

“I’ve already sent off the forms for Britain’s Got Talent and I’m going to enter next year’s X-Factor,” she said.

Cowell told the newspaper: “Although Jacqui obviously wasn’t happy with what I said at the time, thank God I said it.

“We are all absolutely delighted that it all worked out so well for her.”