X-FACTOR rocker Tabby Callaghan has been ditched by his manager, TV show judge Sharon Osbourne.

Irishman Tabby's axing comes days after it was revealed pop guru Simon Cowell had dumped X-factor winner Steve Brookstein.

Tabby, 24, said: "Sharon brought me to a particular point in my career and now I have to row my own boat.

"The exposure I was given from X-factor was great but I haven't released a record yet and I want to get that going."

Tabby said he is not bitter, adding: "I don'tmindtheslow start because if it were easy, everybody would be doing it"I might watch this year's X-factor but, to be honest, I want to be too busy."

Tabby, from Sligo, rose to fame last year in Sharon Osbourne's under-25s group in X-factor. He impressed Ozzy's wife so much, she vowed to get him a recording deal - even though he came third in the show.

Sharon, a powerful figure in the music industry, approached four companies but none would agree.

Now, more than a year after the first series ended, he is launching a single, King Of The Town, next month.

Tabby, who has a 16-month-old-son with Shetland-born girlfriend Anna Leask, said his greatest inspiration came from meeting veteran rocker Rod Stewart.

The pair shared the stage during a concert in June at the Source Festival in Kilkenny.

Tabby said: "It was my absolute dream come true tomeet him. He was a really sound guy and, when he saw me, he just shouted 'Taaaaby!' "He really gave me the lift I need. He pointed a finger at my chest and said: 'All that matters is that you have that burning desire from in there.' "It was fantastic being able to talk to him like that, like one musician to another