Tulisa Contostavlos loses appeal for assault conviction

British pop star Tulisa Contostavlos has lost an appeal against a conviction for punching a blogger at a 2013 music festival.

The former N-Dubz star was found guilty of common assault for hitting showbiz writer and U.K. reality star Vas Morgan in the face at V Festival in Chelmsford, England two years ago, leaving him with a swollen left eye.

Contostavlos denied the allegation, claiming a verbal disagreement between the pair never turned physical, but a district judge dismissed her account and convicted her of assault last year (14).

She launched a formal appeal against the verdict and appeared in Snaresbrook Crown Court in London on Monday (12Jan15) to argue her case, but on Wednesday (14Jan15), Judge David Radford upheld the conviction, ruling she had experienced a "lack of self-control" when she lashed out at Morgan.

However, Contostavlos did succeed in having her sentence amended - she will no longer have to pay $160 in compensation to Morgan, while a fine of $320 has been changed to a conditional discharge.

But the appeal will still cost her dear - she will have to pay an additional $2,400 in court costs.