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Originally Posted by Zee

Yes, he just isn't that likable, and that's precisely why people believe these stories and add the 'truth' to the stories in their minds. I don't doubt that the places of work, jobs and people are real - but are you telling me you wouldn't invent a story for easy cash if they made it out like there weren't going to be any consequences? Half the time the papers just outright make stuff up and then publish apologies later, also to fill up the pages. They have to fill up the pages with SOMETHING every day - and making up a lie and then publishing an apology fills up space for two days. Yeah, the other judges, contestants and other people don't like him - but that doesn't suddenly make tabloid stories about him true. Tabloid stories will be fuelling why other people don't like him, they don't know him personally! They find these people because they know where their contestants have come from. How do the papers find ex boyfriends and girlfriends of famous people? They snoop. These people don't all flock to newspaper headquarters to tell them stories, often they are sought out for information that, if they don't share it, is often just made up anyway.

Let's be honest - Tulisa openly disdains the guy. That just opens the flood gates for other people to do it too. What would you say if these stories suddenly appeared about Jahmene? I bet you'd say they couldn't possibly be true because he seems like a nice, timid person. You're right, he does seem like a nice, timid person, but we can't apply truth to assumptions based on what an edited television program lets us see. It works both ways. Just because someone seems fake, doesn't mean they are, and it certainly doesn't mean they are violent criminals!

Well we agree that Chris isn’t that likable, but I disagree that is why most people ‘believe’ these stories. I have not read that anyone believes without doubt that the stories are true – I have always said there may be 'some truth' to them – never that they are definitely true. What I have read is statements over and over again that state they are NOT true – because nobody, you included, could possibly know that.

are you telling me you wouldn't invent a story for easy cash if they made it out like there weren't going to be any consequences?

Degrade someones character for money? NO, I most definitely would not. Maybe that is why I think there is some truth to the stories and you do not.

I just can’t see X Factor bosses going to these lengths to try to destroy someone’s reputation. You make them sound like the mafia. They couldn’t risk any such thing.
If they really did as you suggest (which I don’t believe for a moment) then his former colleague who he allegedly attacked; another lady who he allegedly 'nearly' attacked and 2 separate employers all have the same moral code and all took money to outright bring down his character. That is 4 separate people who all showed that they have no liking or respect for him anyway. And if they did take money to do the dirty deed, wouldn’t they then go further and be after much, much more to give the papers a big exclusive scoop and blow the X Factor bosses and their tactics wide open? Nah.

It’s much more likely that the girl who Chris attacked was contacted or made contact herself to the papers and sold her story because there WAS some truth to it - with some exaggeration probably thrown in to make it more worthwhile to print. Their mutual employer was then contacted for confirmation and remembered an ‘incident’ and that he had later fired him. They probably then gave them the name of another employer who had fired him for a similar event who confirmed it. That is the most likely scenario. All this talk about mafia- like bosses and dirty money is a bit far fetched. I dislike Simon Cowell, but he’s the boss and he’s not that stupid that he would risk his reputation to try to destroy someone who isn’t by any means a sure winner anyway. What will Simon do next – hire a hitman to knock Chris off?

Let's be honest - Tulisa openly disdains the guy.

Yep. Nicole does too. Neither can hardly bear to address him and that is very telling. They know more than we do obviously and as that has never, ever been the case with any other contestant in the history of the show maybe we need to think about that.

What would you say if these stories suddenly appeared about Jahmene? I bet you'd say they couldn't possibly be true because he seems like a nice, timid person.

But they haven’t, and wouldn’t, because he IS a nice timid person. People much more often than not ARE what they seem to be. But if such a thing occurred, I would weigh up the probabilities of such accusations and think them very very unlikely indeed. Laughable, in fact. But how could I be 100% sure?

Just because someone seems fake, doesn't mean they are, and it certainly doesn't mean they are violent criminals!

If someone seems fake, then there is a big chance that a part of them isn’t comfortable and they are hiding an aspect of their true self. As he hasn't been convicted of a violent crime, I would never presume to brand him a 'violent criminal'.

These stories about Chris MAY be true or they may not. I will repeat that common sense says there is something in it all. I will always react against people who say something CAN’T POSSIBLY be true, end of story. That is just a cop out. At least you have given reasons for your certainty that he is completely innocent and I respect your opinions and conclusions even though I obviously don’t agree with most of them.