Cheryl Cole left shocked by fan

Cheryl Cole was left terrified after a crazed fan grabbed her yesterday.

The Girls Aloud beauty - who is currently filming for hit UK TV talent show 'The X Factor', on which she is a judge - was posing for pictures when the man lunged at her and tried to hug her.

The 25-year-old singer - who only managed to break free when her assistant pulled the man off - quickly fled into a hotel foyer to escape, following the incident.

An onlooker in Glasgow, Scotland, said: "Cheryl had been happily signing autographs and posing for pictures before this crazy looking man just lunged at her. He managed to get his arm around her before she ushered away into the hotel. She looked really freaked out by it - she was really pale."

Earlier in the day, the man had pestered Cheryl's fellow judge Simon Cowell and other members of the 'X Factor' team, causing bosses to tighten their security. It is not the first time Cheryl has been troubled by an over-eager fan. Last year, Girls Aloud had to tighten security after a crazed lesbian got into their dressing room and they also received threatening letters from a male fan.

An 'X Factor' spokesman said: "Cheryl happily posed for a picture with this man - then he came up and bear-hugged her."