Sharon Osbourne slams claims she's 'mentally exhausted'

Sharon Osbourne has blasted claims that her traumatic year has left her “mentally exhausted” - and says her weekend ‘brain freeze’ is just down to a hectic travel schedule.

In case you missed it, the X Factor judge forgot the name of singer Saara Aalto for the SECOND time at the weekend.

We’ve all done it, sure - but many pals think it’s a symptom of something altogether more serious than Saara’s forgettability.

“She’s in an incredibly vulnerable state of mind. Everyone is concerned,” an insider told The Sun. “She moved house and now is working two jobs - one in the UK and one in the US. She’s pushing herself to the limit.

However, Sharon’s people dismissed the reports, claiming that she is simply having to deal with "long flights” between her jobs on the X Factor and US chat show The Talk.

Of course, Sharon’s also had one or two problems at home to deal with, and is currently working through the fallout from husband Ozzy’s affair. During a recent TV appearance the 64-year-old star revealed her family even sent her to a psychiatric unit last year when she had a “complete and utter breakdown”.

“I woke up in hospital,” she explained. “My brain just shut down - totally fused. I couldn’t cope with anything.”

While some fans of the show suggested Sharon’s struggle with Saara’s name at the weekend was down to a few too many pre-show sherries, we’ll give her the benefit of the doubt.

And anyway, if Saara keeps finishing in the bottom two, soon we’ll all be forgetting her name.