From Spar to star A few weeks ago, Eoghan Quigg was working in his local shop; tonight, the teenager sings in the final of hit TV show 'X Factor'...
It was an image that brought home the reality of just how young the X Factor finalist Eoghan Quigg really is. The 16-year-old from Dungiven, Co Derry, has been singing, dancing and twinkling his way into the hearts of the Irish and British public over the past two months on the TV show.
When Diana Vickers was finally voted off last week, Eoghan sobbed his heart out with chunky, childlike gulps. He clung desperately to Diana, herself just 17, and could be heard snuffling, "I love you, I love you." As she finished her last ever X Factor performance, Eoghan ran back on stage again to hug her.
Eoghan's emotional reaction to Diana's departure was a sharp reminder that these contestants are mere teenagers; adolescents going through intense emotional journeys in the full glare of the media spotlight.
It's hard not to imagine the enormous shift in lifestyle that Eoghan has experienced in the few short months since he first auditioned for the judges. In that brief period of time, Eoghan has gone from being a normal schoolboy in a small community in Dungiven to a famous would-be pop star in the biggest singing competition in the UK.
His 'Quiggie' haircut must be the most requested hairstyle since 'the Rachel' (even Deputy First Minister Martin McGuinness knows what a 'Quiggie' is). His friendship with former contestant Vickers has been the source of the kind of intense media scrutiny and speculation that is normally reserved for Hollywood A-listers' relationships, not those of innocuous teenagers.
In between the singing, his comments are a constant reminder that he is an ordinary teenager in an extraordinary situation. Last week, when he arrived by helicopter in Derry to play a gig, he said: "I've never been on a helicopter before. It's really cool."
Though 182,000 hopefuls applied, Eoghan has made it through to tonight's final, where he will face off against Alexandra Burke and boyband TLS. He was just 15 when he strolled into this year's X Factor auditions and impressed the judges with a rendition of Eric Clapton's Tears In Heaven. He quickly won the hearts of hordes of teenage girls, but he also received messages of support from the singer Amy Winehouse, and Michael Jackson said he wanted to write a song for him.
In the early audition stages, the judges were swept away with his charm. Dannii Minogue told him he was "adorable", Cheryl Cole said, "you're really cute," Simon Cowell said, "the chicks are gonna love you and mums are gonna love you" and Louis Walsh told him he had "star quality".
He also has unofficial fan sites and Bebo pages where fans can show their appreciation and chat about their favourite teen heart-throb.
While he might be getting used to a life of paparazzi cameras, live television performances and screaming audiences, he has remained grounded. After his initial audition on The X Factor, he was back serving customers in his local Spar.
"He's just a normal kid who is full of energy and ambition," said his dad Chris. "He's a great lad." Meanwhile, teammates from his football team described him as "just one of us. He doesn't want to be treated any differently".
Eoghan says his family keeps him grounded. "They'll always make sure I keep my feet on the ground," he said. "I'm coming home to Dungiven for Christmas and I'm looking forward to that. No matter what happens, I'm going to stay the same person."
Before becoming an X Factor sensation, Eoghan's only singing experience had been in the school choir and in school productions of musicals like Oliver and Joseph. He is living every teenager's dream, but like any teenager, he misses his friends. "I miss us having a laugh," he said.
Ordinarily, Eoghan lives with his parents, his two younger brothers and a new sister who was born during his time on the show. While performing on The X Factor he has been living in a house with the other contestants (his parents brought him his PlayStation games to make him feel more at home).
While he is making his bid for pop stardom, Eoghan is also studying for his GCSEs and, because of his age, he can only practise six hours a day for his X Factor performances.
While Eoghan had up until last week been one of the most stable and happy-go-lucky contestants on the show, his outburst over Diana shows the emotional toll such an intense competition can have on a teenager.
Diana Vickers' mother said the pressure of being on the show left her daughter in tears most weeks. "When Diana phones me in tears, I cry too," she said. "I hate knowing she's upset and just want to jump down the phone line to give her a big hug. She's still so young, but really listens to the judges and takes criticism to heart."
Even some of the contestants' families succumbed to the stresses and strains. Alexandra and Diana's families fell out when Diana's family decided to wear pink T-shirts to support Diana, just as Alexandra's family had been doing. It's a sign of how high tensions run.
Eoghan is now in with a real chance of winning tonight's finale. While Alexandra is the bookies' favourite, Dungiven's finest is popular with voters. He has been in the top two every week and has led voting six times, while Alexandra topped it just once.
Tonight, Eoghan will be teaming up with Boyzone; Alexandra will be tutored by Westlife (she will perform their hit Flying Without Wings) and boyband TLS will probably be mentored by Rihanna (whose song Umbrella they are tipped to sing).
"I'm not nervous about the final," said Eoghan. "I'm just really looking forward to it. I'm going to work really hard this week to make sure I give the best performance ever this weekend.
"When I entered this competition I didn't even think I would get past the first round. I can't believe I'm in the final. I really thought I was going home. I mean, I'm only 16 and I never expected to get this far. How many 16-year-olds get to do something like this?"
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