X Factor USA contestant Stacey Francis has come under fire for selling a story about her fight with Whitney Houston days before the singer's death to a UK tabloid.

Francis told a publication that Whitney was "high on tequila and champagne" as the pair got into a catfight at Kelly Price's pre-Grammy Awards party on Thursday night over Whitney's boyfriend Ray J.

"She was out of control. She put her hand in my face. She was screaming at me and called me a bitch. She just went crazy – like Jekyll and Hyde," Francis told The Mirror.

"I turned to look at her and she pushed my forehead and turned my face away. I grabbed her hand and said, ‘Please don’t do this. You’re everything to me. You’re my idol, you’re a legend.'"

"I was crying and screaming out, we were both screaming until eventually we were pulled apart."

Francis, who reached the fourth week of X Factor USA before being eliminated, originally hinted at the scuffle on Twitter on Sunday night, telling fans: "I deeply regret the events that led to Thursday’s misunderstanding, but I respect and love her more than I can say."

The 42-year-old New Yorker then apparently sold further details to the newspaper, claiming the vicious row at Tru nightclub in Hollywood began when Whitney spotted Stacy talking to Ray J.

"Whitney came running over and said, ‘You know Ray’s my baby? Yeah, I’m a cougar girl!’" Francis explained. "I said, ‘Whitney, I love you baby. It’s not like that. Calm down, you’re causing a scene."

"There was a lot of alcohol there. She was doing shots. I saw her drink one before she went on stage to sing and then she had another one when she came off," she added.

The reality show singer has since come under attack from fans accusing her of trying to spin money and column-inches out of Whitney's death.

One Twitter user angrily dismissed her as "stooping low for 15 more minutes" while another said the story was an attempt to "gain attention when she had nothing to say prior."

Was it wrong for Stacy to sell the story so soon after Whitney's death?

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