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LAURA White battled through the X Factor hiding a secret heartache because she didn’t want to be judged on her story.

The News of the World can exclusively reveal the 21-year-old’s grandfather passed away just after her first audition.

But she refused to let TV bosses make the news public, fearing it would be all she was known for.

She said: “I’m just a girl with a voice – that’s what I wanted to be remembered for.

“I asked for nothing to be said because I didn’t want people to make a thing of it and I didn’t want my grandmother to be under any spotlight.”

On Saturday night judges saved sexy Spanish siren Ruth Lorenzo in the sing off, sending Laura home.
Stirring

She had just given a stirring performance of Somewhere Over The Rainbow – a song she dedicated to her grandfather’s memory.

“I went out and did it for my granddad. That used to be his favourite song, I used to sing it at every gig back home.”

The revelations are a stark contrast to many of the contestants who critics believe are being kept in by the public after gaining their sympathy.

Week after week widow and single parent Daniel Evans, and former drug addict Rachel Hylton have been saved by the viewer vote despite below par performances.

But singer-songwriter Laura has always maintained she wanted to be judged purely for her music.

“I was distracted this week thinking about Simon’s comments of my image.”

(Which the music mogul has often citicised.)

“I think that a lot of people lost focus on my music which is what I wanted to be judged on,” she said.

I went out and did it for my granddad

Now that she has left the show, she hopes to concentrate on her own music without being bound by the shackles of X Factor’s various theme nights.

She said: “Before the show I was definitely more Laura White.

“Each week you sing a different song for each theme and you can lose your identity.

“I do rate myself as an artist and I do believe in myself, the dream now would be that someone somewhere will have seen me and think, ‘Yes, she deserves a contract’.”

http://www.newsoftheworld.co.uk/show...eryl-Cole.html