It seems Sharon Osbourne has felt a pang of guilt after her astonishing attack on Britain's Got Talent star Susan Boyle last week.

Osbourne, herself a judge on America's Got Talent, had compared the Scot's face to a "slapped a**e" and declared that she had been hit with a "f***ing ugly stick".

But now she is reported to have taken it back, saying: "Susan Boyle is a lovely gracious woman and I took advantage of that by poking fun at her.

"I would never want to be responsible for hurting Susan and I must apologise for getting a cheap laugh at her expense."

Of course some might be surprised that Shazza didn't think to apologise earlier. In fact, she waited until after a high-profile poll in the US showed the majority of respondents thought that SuBo was sexier than her.

A poll on AOL showed that readers also gave Sharon the edge when it comes to ugliness as well.

Our gallery looks at Susan Boyle's rapid rise to fame in pictures...