[Red Moon]

Rhydian: 2nd but I’ve got deal!

ODDBALL opera star Rhydian Roberts will still sign a megabucks record deal with Simon Cowell – despite coming second, The Sun can reveal.

The move comes as X Factor viewers claimed the Welsh singer was ROBBED because voting lines were jammed.

Thousands of Rhydian fans called ITV to vote for Rhydian, 25, on Saturday night’s final - but all they got was a busy signal.

One fan, Emma Newton, said: “I tried and tried and tried to vote for Rhydian and the phone was constantly engaged.”

Samuel Legg, from Yeovil, Somerset, added: "I could not vote for Rhydian even after trying hundreds of times and constantly checking I had dialled the correct number.

“If the voting was close and one could not get through, were there enough lines? Was there some form of miscarriage?”

But a show spokeswoman last night denied any conspiracy, saying: "Both acts had the same number of lines available for fans to call.”

Stardom

She added there had been reports of problems with Virgin Media calls, but this had nothing to do with the show’s voting system. Rhydian – who last night fled to London to be with his parents – was the favourite to win the show and only lost by a few thousand votes.

Just before he and Leon sang the winner’s song, there was just one per cent difference between them.

But despite failing to win Rhydian is set for recording deal of his own.

The star, 25, has been in talks with Cowell for the past few days about signing for Sony BMG.

The deal would be done for at least one album – and could include the US.

Simon is desperate to sign the singer before he lands a role with Andrew Lloyd Webber to play The Phantom of the Opera in a sequel to the West End musical.

Rhydian said: “Andrew and I have communicated. My ambition is to play the Phantom at the end of next year.”

An insider said: “Simon is relaxed about Rhydian doing Phantom but he wants to make sure he gets his record deal done first.

“That way Andrew Lloyd Webber has to work around Simon rather than the other way round.”

Simon is also weighing up offering a deal to third-placed Same Difference.

Source: The Sun