A former X Factor hopeful has opened up about her experience competing on the show in years gone by, claiming to debunk a number of myths about the axed ITV hit.
The long-running reality singing contest originally aired from 2004 – however it has been off the air since 2018, while a badly received spin-off titled The X Factor : The Band aired in 2019.
Last year, reports suggested the show had been axed for good after years of dwindling ratings and after the Covid-19 pandemic prevented the show being made in 2020.
London-based singer-songwriter Lottie Jade posted a deep dive on her TikTok account, describing her 2016 audition process for Simon Cowell's singing competition.
She wrote in the caption: "Just to clear things up," and spoke directly to the camera.
Lottie opened by telling fans: "So I've been seeing a lot of things going around about how BGT is really fake so I'm going to tell you my story of when I auditioned for The X Factor back in 2016."
She continued: "I actually got scouted back at the time, by Sony music in 2016 and Sony had made me go and audition to be in a girl group for X Factor - before X Factor even came along, if that makes sense."
Lottie claimed she was called back by Sony to audition solo, and she told how she "had a head start over other people."
She said she was given four songs to sing, adding: "I sang all four songs then they picked what song I should sing for my TV audition.
“Then they told me what they wanted me to wear. I had gone to the audition in the clothes I thought I would be wearing if I went on TV - but they told me it wasn't something they were looking for.
"They gave me suggestions of what to wear for the audition."
Lottie told her TikTok followers how she was unable to dedicate time to the different stages of the X Factor process and so didn't continue on the programme.
She concluded: "So basically what I'm trying to say to you is every show you see to do with music or to do with artists is fake.
"Everything is already pre-done, everyone knows who is going to win already. None of it is actually real, so I just thought I'd clear that up."
This comes after reports Simon Cowell is planning to resuscitate The X Factor – a year after ITV declared they had no intention of bringing the show back to screens.
Show boss Simon, 62, has hinted the time is right already for the show to be revived – although UK audiences might be spared the return initially, as he’s planning to bring it back to the US.
A source told The Sun on Sunday: “The X Factor is far from dead in America. Simon always felt the show needed some rest and some revamping.
“He and the producers are looking at making it appeal to a wider audience and incorporating more social media platforms and streaming possibilities.”
While Simon himself is quoted by the outlet saying: “I’m proud of the show. In fact, I’m actually thinking about trying to bring X Factor back to America.”
