Mary Byrne, the talented Dublin woman who had made it to the final stages of the X Factor competition has been struck down with the flu according to British tabloids.

Last weekend Mary succeeded in landing herself a place in the reality shows live final stages. The single mother didn’t appear at press and TV interviews today and may not be able to perform according to The Sun newspaper. The 50-year-old supermarket check out worker has apparently been unable to sing at rehearsals this week.

Responding to the tabloid rumors a spokesperson from the show said "Mary has a sniffle but is going to be fine."

Mary, from Ballyfermot in Dublin will be mentored by fellow Irishman Louis Walsh during the final stages of the contest. Mary vowed judges at the Dublin auditions of X Factor with her rendition of the Tom Jones hit, “I who have nothing.”