Kerry
23-08-2011, 02:24 AM
It's only managed one show so far, but already 'The X Factor' has been hit with controversy over its choice of contestants.
Pizza waitress Roxy Yarnold has been linked to Simon Cowell's Syco, after being hand-picked to tour with stars of the label including Westlife, Shayne Ward and G4 in 2007.
Louis Walsh even mentioned her in a 2007 interview, saying: “She's young, she's pretty, she's talented and I just think she's got a great future.”
In the same interview, Roxy herself reportedly said: “My manager knows Louis and she told him about me and got me on the tour. It’s been incredible,” before adding in another interview, 'It really helps to have someone like Louis Walsh helping you. He is so good at setting things up, tours and so on'.”
A source on the show told the Mirror that Roxy is being 'portrayed as a struggling pizza waitress, but in actual fact she's been singing alongside the crop of Syco talent since an early age'.
But the show has hit back at the claims, a spokesperson saying: “Throughout the history of 'X Factor', there has been auditionees who have been involved with the music industry before.
"Nineteen-year-old Roxy was touring at the age of 14 but has been out of the industry since then. She was eligible to enter as she has no record or management deal in place.”
There are also various claims surrounding contestant Kitty Brucknell, who is already being dubbed this year's Katie Waissel after her peculiar audition.
The Sunday Mirror is suggesting the Britney Spears and Lady Gaga impersonator has been 'head-hunted' by producers, who encouraged her to audition after seeing her on YouTube.
It's also claimed in The Sun that she has worked as a 'honeytrap' girl for a private investigation firm, helping to entrap cheating husbands.
Meanwhile, angry contestant George Gerasimou, who verbally slated new judge Tulisa Contostavlos, is saying he was 'wound up' by show producers before his disastrous audition.
“The producers and judges wound me up to make better TV,” he said. “I feel like they taunted me when I was on the stage to get ratings up because they knew how I would react. I strongly believe they wound me up on purpose.”
But despite the various controversies, the show, which features new judges Take That's Gary Barlow, N-Dubz star Tulisa and Destiny's Child's Kelly Rowland, is being hailed a success, drawing in 12.6 million viewers, equalling the biggest-ever audience for an opening episode.
Northern Ireland's Janet Devlin is already being tipped for the final, though she says she was glad Simon Cowell was no longer on the panel, saying: 'I thought he'd hate me'. [Daily Mirror/The Sunday Mirror/The Sun/Digital Spy]
Roxy Yarnold
http://img.metro.co.uk/i/pix/2011/08/22/article-1314011292164-0D8469C600000578-244705_466x310.jpg
Pizza waitress Roxy Yarnold has been linked to Simon Cowell's Syco, after being hand-picked to tour with stars of the label including Westlife, Shayne Ward and G4 in 2007.
Louis Walsh even mentioned her in a 2007 interview, saying: “She's young, she's pretty, she's talented and I just think she's got a great future.”
In the same interview, Roxy herself reportedly said: “My manager knows Louis and she told him about me and got me on the tour. It’s been incredible,” before adding in another interview, 'It really helps to have someone like Louis Walsh helping you. He is so good at setting things up, tours and so on'.”
A source on the show told the Mirror that Roxy is being 'portrayed as a struggling pizza waitress, but in actual fact she's been singing alongside the crop of Syco talent since an early age'.
But the show has hit back at the claims, a spokesperson saying: “Throughout the history of 'X Factor', there has been auditionees who have been involved with the music industry before.
"Nineteen-year-old Roxy was touring at the age of 14 but has been out of the industry since then. She was eligible to enter as she has no record or management deal in place.”
There are also various claims surrounding contestant Kitty Brucknell, who is already being dubbed this year's Katie Waissel after her peculiar audition.
The Sunday Mirror is suggesting the Britney Spears and Lady Gaga impersonator has been 'head-hunted' by producers, who encouraged her to audition after seeing her on YouTube.
It's also claimed in The Sun that she has worked as a 'honeytrap' girl for a private investigation firm, helping to entrap cheating husbands.
Meanwhile, angry contestant George Gerasimou, who verbally slated new judge Tulisa Contostavlos, is saying he was 'wound up' by show producers before his disastrous audition.
“The producers and judges wound me up to make better TV,” he said. “I feel like they taunted me when I was on the stage to get ratings up because they knew how I would react. I strongly believe they wound me up on purpose.”
But despite the various controversies, the show, which features new judges Take That's Gary Barlow, N-Dubz star Tulisa and Destiny's Child's Kelly Rowland, is being hailed a success, drawing in 12.6 million viewers, equalling the biggest-ever audience for an opening episode.
Northern Ireland's Janet Devlin is already being tipped for the final, though she says she was glad Simon Cowell was no longer on the panel, saying: 'I thought he'd hate me'. [Daily Mirror/The Sunday Mirror/The Sun/Digital Spy]
Roxy Yarnold
http://img.metro.co.uk/i/pix/2011/08/22/article-1314011292164-0D8469C600000578-244705_466x310.jpg