Jack Walton was a favourite of Mel B’s from the start so we were pretty shocked when the judge didn’t put the Leeds lad through to the live shows.
Simon Cowell used his wildcard choice to put Jack back into the competition and last night he sang live on The X Factor stage for the first time. Judging from the reaction he received from the audience and the judges, Jack is a hit!
The 18-year-old could be the dark horse of the competition and last night he proved that he should have been given a place in the live shows by Mel B at judges’ houses.
How does it feel to be back in the show? “It feels absolutely amazing! I felt bad when I went out, I was kicking myself. It’s given me a bit more confidence that they’ve believed in me and seen enough potential to offer me a place.”
How did Jack find out he was back in the competition? “I was in my flat in Leeds. I got a phone call with a ‘no caller ID’ and it was Simon Cowell! He was talking about how I could maybe go for the show next year and I just thought it was one of those phone calls to say ‘unlucky, try again next year’. But then he said that he didn’t want me to try next year, and that I’d been nominated as a wild card and he wanted to take me through to live shows. I was with my mum, Dad, my family and my mates, they all went mad!”
How hard was it keeping everything secret? “It’s been really hard. People have been trying to guess as I haven’t been at home. But it’s such a big secret! The hardest thing was not telling close friends. I had to keep telling them that I was still waiting to find out. But it was kind of nice having that secret!”
Tune in to ITV at 8.15pm tonight to see if Jack goes through to week 2. Watch Jack’s week 1 performance of Rihanna’s Only Girl (In The World) below:
