A GIRL band which Simon Cowell said needed to be "more like Spaghetti Bolognaise" has hit back saying the Queen would prefer to be served Caviar.

Zyrah Rose missed out on the Britain's Got Talent crown after leaving the competition in the semi-final.

Charlotte Tyler, of Worthing, and bandmates Kara Lily Hayworth, Emily Hawgood and Christine Allado, used their training to perform operatic covers and impressed judges with a version of Adele's Fire to the Rain.

But Simon Cowell likened them to a stereotypically expensive and exclusive delicacy rather than a universally popular dish.

He said: "You sounded really good. But you seem untouchable, there is a slight image issue. It's like you are Caviar and a lot of people like spaghetti bolognaise. We need to make you more like bolognaise."

Yesterday Ms Tyler, 28, told The Argus: "As it's the Royal Variety Show and the Queen is there we would ask - which would she prefer to be served: Caviar or spaghetti bolognaise?"

Cowell's comments prompted a row with judges Amanda Holden and Alesha Dixon jumping to their defence and insisting they did not need to change.

Dixon said: "I'm a really big fan of yours."

While Holden added: "I could listen to your voices all night."

Fellow judge David Walliams said he could see the group in the final and that they were much more like a "lovely lasagne".

It sparked a social media storm with viewers complaining about the food comparisons and slamming Declan Donnelly for his on stage retort: "They don't look untouchable to me – in fact they look very touchable to me."

Ms Tyler, a former Broadwater Manor School student, said: "And Dec's comments - people were a bit outraged on Twitter but we knew it was meant as a joke and he's a lovely guy."

She said missing out on a spot in the final will not deter the group from pursuing their dream of a record deal, adding: "It didn't go our way but we've had good feedback and lots of coverage since being on the show.

"I don't think we could have done any better. It's not going to stop us from moving forward. We've been contacted by agencies. We love singing together and will continue to do so."

Background

ZYRAH Rose stepped into the semi-final of Britain's Got Talent attempting to win over judge Simon Cowell.

He claimed their previous performance for the audition left him a "bit cold".

On Wednesday their next performance was unanimously praised but a row broke out when Cowell said they needed to re-think their image.

The group lost out on a spot in Saturday's finale to magician Richard Jones and Cowell's Golden Buzzer act Boogie Storm.