Australian pop star DANNII MINOGUE has been cleared following an official investigation into accusations she made fun of a contestant’s sexuality during a recent appearance on British TV talent show THE X FACTOR.

Britain’s broadcasting watchdog Ofcom received over 4,000 complaints from irate viewers following the October (09) incident, which saw wannabe singer Danyl Johnson perform Jennifer Hudson’s And I’m Telling You I’m Not Going.

Johnson changed the lyrics to make the song relevant for a male singer - prompting Minogue to quip, “If we’re to believe what we read in the papers, there was no need to switch the gender reference in the song.”

Minogue apologised for the jibe, and now an investigation by TV regulators has cleared her of any wrongdoing, because Johnson had already spoken about his bisexuality in the press.

A statement from Ofcom reads, “It was not outside the established nature of the programme for an X Factor judge to make such a comment especially in circumstances where the performer had placed information about his sexuality in the public domain.

“Ofcom did not discern a pejorative or homophobic intent behind her comment. Broadcasters need to exercise caution in this area, particularly when the subject of sexual orientation may foreseeably arise in the context of a live programme.

“In no way should the ‘outing’ of participants in television programmes be encouraged, condoned or legitimised.”