Former X Factor contestant Lucy Spraggan has shared text messages apparently sent by James Arthur following their spat over homophobic lyrics.

Rapper Micky Worthless recorded a track mocking former X Factor winner Arthur following his appearance on 1Xtra's Fire In The Booth. In response, Arthur laid down a diss track of his own, in which he called Worthless "fucking queer" and compared him to the Taliban.

Arthur was lambasted by Matt Lucas, Frankie Boyle, Spraggan and more for his lyrics, and quit Twitter on November 18. Yesterday (November 20), Spraggan posted to Twitter a series of texts sent by Arthur, in which he questions her motives for sticking the knife in.

Arthur allegedly wrote: "Lucy what are you playing at having digs at me? Is it coz you're a gay rights activist you had to say something as extreme as 'people kill themselves every day over words like queer' are you for real?"

He went on to say: "And for you’re information my album was self-penned," then called Spraggan, "just another narrow minded person in this narrow minded country with narrow views". He concluded: "My album sold 10 times youres in it’s first week so you can fuck off with you’re career shite… Stop reading the press 'mate'… Real people don't care… Two faced fickle attention seeker. Dissapear."

Before posting the messages, Spraggan tweeted: "Just had a very interesting text from a very stupid guy. Mistakeo." Afterwards, she wrote: "And that was tweeted because it has to be fucking said. Dick."

Earlier this week, Arthur apologised for his homophobic slur in a series of tweets which have since been deleted. The Mirror has published the tweets, in which Arthur commented: "I just have to say I'm extremely disappointed in myself for being so naive with the diss track I made for an unknown rapper recently... I would just like to make it completely clear that it was not meant in anyway as a reference to homosexuality... I realise where the term has come from in meaning... but used in the context of the rap battles I have grown up with it has come to mean something completely different... That said, I understand why it could cause offence and that definitely wasn't my intention."

He continued: "Some of the things said in this rap can be mistaken for homophobic slurs and I assure you homophobia is something I do not believe in. I have many many gay friends. In rap feuds/rap disses the words I used have a different intent. This is a straight man I was attacking. A straight man who littered his track with severe homophobic slurs towards me... Like I said though it was a rap diss."