[Locke.]

EXCLUSIVE X FACTOR HOPEFUL SUZIE SLAMS JUDGE

X Factor hopeful Suzie Furlonger has hit out at Dannii Minogue for ignoring contestants she was supposed to be mentoring.

Suzie says she was one of six in the Over-25s group who spent three days rehearsing and filming in the south of France but saw Dannii for only 45 minutes.

She says she got NO coaching or guidance from Dannii or from "guest mentor" Emma Bunton.

Suzie, 26, said: "We hardly saw them at all. Danni spent less than an hour in total with us during three long days. Emma spent even less."

The Over-25s group - Suzie plus Daniel Evans, Louise Heatly, Rachel Hylton, Ruth Lorenzo and James Williams - thought they were in for the experience of a lifetime after they made it through Boot Camp to the final 24 and were told to pack their cases for St Tropez.

They weren't told which judge would be overseeing them until they got there. Suzie, from London, said: "I was hoping to get Simon Cowell because it's his show and his record label. You know he can do the most for your career. But when Dannii came out, I was really pleased. And when we met Emma too we all thought we'd done really well."

But their initial enthusiasm soon wore off when it became clear that Dannii and Emma seemed to have better things to do than hang out with contestants. They were also disappointed that they weren't staying at a palatial French villa with Dannii. Suzie said: "We were put up in a hotel an hour's drive from St Tropez. The crew woke us up at five every morning and we didn't get back until after 10 at night. The hotel was nowhere near a town so we didn't get one night out. We didn't go into St Tropez once and there was certainly no shopping or sunbathing. I knew it wasn't going to be a holiday. But I wasn't prepared for the amount of work we did. We sat in the blazing sun doing interviews to the camera. If you weren't doing an interview, you were waiting to do one. It was relentless."

Suzie - who performed One Day I'll Fly Away by Randy Crawford and How Do I Live by Leann Rimes - said: "A lot of people assumed we were going to get expert coaching from Dannii and Emma.

"But there was none. Dannii only appeared three times. She first came out on the second day when she was revealed as our judge. That took about 15 minutes.

"Then we performed for her, which took a few minutes each.

"The next day she came back to deliver her verdicts. But even that took less than half an hour.

"She was nice when she was around. But we didn't get to know her at all."

Tonight viewers see the climax of the trip - when Dannii announces her choice of the final three Over-25s who will go through to the live stages of X Factor.

THE FINAL 24

24 will become 12 tonight in the brutally nailbiting last round of the X Factor auditions. Here LOUISE FORD gives her verdict on which three acts from each category will survive.

The boys Simon

Austin Drage 21, from Essex

Fresh-faced Austin already has a TV career and even starred in a Brad Pitt movie.

Star Factor 4 (out of five)

Scott Bruton 19, from Manchester

The ex Pontin's Bluecoat was dubbed a "good old fashioned singer" by Simon Cowell.

STAR FACTOR 4

Eoghan Quigg 16, from N. Ireland

The adorable schoolboy from Derry - Simon believes will be a hit with "chicks and mums".

STAR FACTOR 4

Mali Mccalla 15, from London

As the son of reggae musician Noel McCalla and with a unique sound the teenager has potential.

STAR FACTOR 3

Liam Payne 14, of W'hampton

Simon has given the youngest contestant left in the competition a "second chance" to prove himself.

STAR FACTOR 2

Alan Turner 24, from Barnsley

Thinks accusations of lying about his family past has overshadowed his talent. Maybe better luck next year.

STAR FACTOR 2

The girls Cheryl

Amy Connelly 18, from Watford

Made Cheryl weep singing for mum who died of cancer. Voice may not be strong enough to last distance.

STAR FACTOR 3

Hannah Bradbeer 22, from Kent

Wildchild who hates office job and wants to be singer. Dannii said she needs to work on her image.

STAR FACTOR 2

Annastasia Baker 19, from London

The waitress mum with bags of ambition who wants to inspire her eight-monthold daughter.

STAR FACTOR 3

Laura White 20, from M'chester

Dubbed the new Katie Melua, she had a sore throat at first audition - but is now tipped for the top.

STAR FACTOR 4

http://www.mirror.co.uk/tv-entertain...5875-20775719/

[Billy]

Ungreatful cow. Dannii has decisions to make so she would be busy making them. It wasn't a holiday camp so of course she was expected to WORK considering it was her future she was working for. There wasn't supposed to be any sunbathing etc etc because she was supposed to be practicing.

The whole article stinks of sour grapes tbh, someone definitely didn't make it through the judges homes then.

[jkp44]

OMG. Im sorry suzie ur really good and that but the judges only start mentoring properly when u get 2 live shows and all the catorgaries had to stay in a nearby hotel. So why is she blming it all on Dannii.

[jkp44]

It obviously means she did not get through cause otherwise she wouldn't be bad mouthing her.