Cheryl losing her X Factor with fans... as Dannii is voted most popular judge

Cheryl Cole has earned herself a name as a bit of a soft touch after frequently breaking down in tears on the X Factor panel.

But it seems the Girls Aloud star's emotional outbursts are not earning her any fans.

The 25-year-old judge was voted less popular than co-star Dannii Minogue in two separate polls.

Cry baby: Dannii Minogue (l) has beaten tearful Cheryl Cole in the popularity stakes

Australian judge Dannii came out top of the judges, scoping 62 per cent of the vote in a New Magazine poll and 42 per cent on yahoo.com.

Cheryl lagged behind with just 25 per cent of the New Magazine vote and 32 per cent on yahoo.com.

Cheryl's waning popularity may be due to her frequent crying, which has been triggered by the various sob stories from contestants.

In last week's show she broke down during 18-year-old Amy Connelly's performance after hearing the teen had lost her mother when she was seven-years-old.

Emotional: Cheryl has been reduced to tears several times after hearing performers' sob stories

The week before viewers saw her lose her composure as she heard the story of Daniel Evans whose wife died just days after giving birth to their daughter.

One fan said: 'The writing could be on the wall - she'll have to change her act to win fans over.

'Viewers say she's too ready to burst into tears when she hears the sob stories from wannabes. That's got very tiring very quickly.'

Dannii's spokesman told the Sun newspaper: 'She is really thrilled.'

The 36-year-old will be teaming up with former Spice Girl Emma Bunton to mentor her acts.

Comforting: Cheryl hugs Amy Connelly after breaking down in tears at her performance