First with the News is the BBC.......
Quote:
Leon Jackson takes X Factor crown Scottish crooner Leon Jackson has won the fourth series of ITV talent search the X Factor.
"It's not real," said the stunned 18-year-old as he took the prize of a £1 million recording contract. "Thank you for everybody who voted".
Second place went to Welsh tenor Rhydian Roberts, while sibling act Same Difference came third.
Jackson's single - a rewritten version of Mariah Carey and Whitney Houston's When You Believe - is out on Monday.
He is likely to scoop the coveted Christmas number one next week, following in the footsteps of the last two X Factor winners, Shayne Ward and Leona Lewis.
Lively final
Same Difference were first on stage for the live final, performing Mariah Carey's All I Want For Christmas Is You surrounded by dancers dressed as Santa's elves.
The show also saw Jason Donovan and opera star Katherine Jenkins duetting with the contestants.
Leon - whose mentor was Dannii Minogue - cavorted with Kylie in front of a red grand piano during a jazzed-up version of her 1990 single Better The Devil You Know.
In addition to the duets, each contestant sang a Christmas song and their favourite number from the competition so far.
A "supergroup" made up of failed auditionees from the show's early stages also performed a version of Whitney Houston's One Moment In Time.
Same Difference became popular with viewers thanks to their cheerful performances and cheesy costumes.
Mentor Simon Cowell championed the act despite initially calling them "potentially the most annoying people I've ever met" but they eventually came third in the public vote.
"They are genuinely nice people and I am really gutted for them," said Cowell after the decision was revealed.
|
Source:
BBC News