ITV talent show The X Factor has caused an international row after the Chinese Embassy lodged an official complaint about noise at the contestants’ home. The Chinese Ambassador, who lives next door to the finalists, complained about the noise and disturbance caused by fans outside the house.

A spokesperson for the embassy said: “I can confirm there was a complaint.

“The reason is several times late at night and early in the mornings the teenage fans were noisy and disturbing.”

Ambassador Madam Fu Ying was also said to be irritated by the litter and graffiti left by the teenagers who are hanging around in the upmarket area.

Fans are believed to be travelling from as far as Ireland in the hope of catching a glimpse of the show’s contestants and earlier in the week, one neighbour complained to the police after a girl was seen flashing at John and Edward.

The complaints have put ITV under increasing pressure to move the finalists to a new home.

Dannii: Why I posed for Playboy

In another development, X Factor judge Dannii Minogue has spoken out for the first time about why she posed nude for Playboy.

The singer tells Piers Morgan, in an interview to be screened on Saturday night, that she stripped off because she owed £150,000 following the break-up of her marriage.

She said: “My parents didn’t want me to do it. My dad was saying, ‘Doing this is forever – you can never, ever change it’. Kylie knew why I was doing it – I could have asked her for the money, but it wasn’t in my nature. I never wanted to admit the trouble I was in. I should have been looking at my finances.

“I would never disclose how much – but it had to be a lot to look at my parents’ faces and see the anguish in my dad’s eyes. I don’t regret it, but I feel relieved that people know why I did it – it’s a huge weight off my shoulders. It was actually fun and I did feel liberated. I looked at the pictures and thought, ‘I look alright!'”

Dannii appeared in the magazine in 1995 after splitting from her husband Julian McMahon. The Australian edition featuring her became the biggest-selling ever and had to be reprinted to meet demand.

Dannii also breaks down in tears during the interview as she talks about her sister Kylie’s breast cancer diagnosis.