She was once hailed as The X Factor’s biggest success story.

But Leona Lewis has had a tough time recently after her latest single Lovebird failed to make it into the top 200.

And now the 27-year-old singer has added to her downturn by committing a fashion fail as she sported a particularly unflattering dress for a performance in China on Monday night.

Creating an illusion: Leona Lewis wore a dress that made her slim figure look bigger than it actually is during a performance in China on Monday

The star took to the stage in the city of Beijing to sing during the China Central Television New Year gala in a sparkling blue gown.

The garment featured two cut-out panels on the sides, exposing Leona’s midriff, and making the widest point of her body appear wider.

Leona finished off her outfit by leaving her long blonde hair in tousled waves as she sang during the show.

Glittering in the spotlight: Leona looked glamorous in the sparkling blue dress but the unflattering fit made her figure look larger than normal

Stealing the show: Leona looked like a superstar as she sung on stage in China but she wore an unflattering dress for the performance

Leona’s successful run as a pop star hit the rocks last month when her song Lovebird failed to make it into the top 200 on the charts and her her album Glassheart became her first disc not to debut at number one when it was released earlier in the year.

The singer is still managed by Sony and Simon Cowell but has become overshadowed by other former X Factor acts such as One Direction and Little Mix.

A source told the Daily Mirror: ‘The single was strong and should have done better but, unfortunately, there was no real marketing force behind it.

Dressing down: Leona usually looks much thinner than she did in the blue gown she wore in China on Monday

Singing her heart out: Former X Factor winner Leona’s run of success hit the rocks recently after her latest single Lovebird failed to get into top 200’Crucially, it didn’t capture the imagination of radio bosses and got little airplay. Most people, unless they have the album, have never heard of the song.’

It is unknown exactly how many copies of Lovebird were sold but the 200th single on the chart sold just 600 copies, meaning that Leona’s sold less.

The source continued: ‘It’s a little embarrassing for the label because they have invested so heavily in Leona. Having said that, the album did really well and the main thing for Leona is that she’s really proud of all the tracks. There are no fillers.’

– Mail Online