She may not have known her own strength, but Whitney Houston clearly overestimated the tenacity of her wardrobe Sunday night.
The comeback queen nearly turned the X Factor into the XXX Factor when she suffered a wardrobe malfunction halfway through her performance on the Simon Cowell-fronted reality show.
While performing her new single, "Million Dollar Bill," on Britain's Idol-esque series—her first U.K. performance, incidentally, in more than 12 years—the back strap of her formfitting, floor-length gown gave way, and she spent the remainder of the song flapping at her sides.
Seasoned pro that she is, she remained unfazed by the clothes call, which luckily didn't result in any more skin than usual being exposed.
"I sang myself out of my clothes," she said after her performance.
Houston, who pulled double duty as the contestants' mentor this week, was later praised by the Ryan Seacrest-alike host, Dermot O'Leary, for her pull-no-punches (think less constructive, more criticism) advice to the wannabes.
"Is that why you call me 'Lippy'?" she asked Cowell. "Simon calls me Lippy. I say what's on my mind just like he does."
For his part, the judge clearly doesn't mind a little sass, deeming her performance "incredible."
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