A mother has been accused of "swindling" her daughter's win on the Child Genius quiz show after ensuring that a rival was knocked out.

Ten-year-old Rhea from west London was crowned the brainiest child in the 2016 final - but only after her mother Sonal dramatically intervened.

The mother insisted that her daughter was given an extra point despite failing to correctly answer a "too general" question.

It was crucial in taking the youngster to triumph, but Twitter users have branded Sonal "brutal" and said she needed to rethink her attitude.

Rhea's place in the final round was secured after her mother objected to an incorrect answer on her specialist subject of Florence Nightingale's influence on military and healthcare reform during the Channel 4 show.

The schoolgirl was asked: "To which medical officer did Florence Nightingale report to in the Crimea?" and lost out on a point after she replied Dr Duncan Menzies.

Sonal, who gave up her job as an obstetrician to train Rhea, was seen waving her hands from the audience and insisting that the question was "too general" and her daughter's answer should be accepted.

"This could be the difference between her being in the finals or not or if could be the difference between in a tie breaker or not," Sonal said.

"Either way...I think she should be given the point and we should see where it goes from there."

An independent adjudicator finally agreed that Rhea should get the point - which boosted her total enough to get her into a final round with nine-year-old Saffy.

Rhea clinched the winning spot in the head-to-head to claim the trophy.

She said the victory was "really, really great" but many viewers said her mother's behaviour left a sour taste.