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Daily Mirror
Daily Mirror
Entertainment
Kyle O'Sullivan

X Factor star Eoghan Quigg's transformation and devastating Diana Vickers heartbreak

Eoghan Quigg was the baby-faced singer who everyone wanted to cuddle - but nowadays he looks completely different to the teen who won the nation's hearts.

The Northern Irish teenager, who was known for his sweet smile and trademark spiky hairstyle, was just 16-years-old when he first auditioned in front of the judges in 2008.

They all fell for Eoghan's charms, with Louis Walsh telling the youngster he had "star quality" and Simon Cowell stating: "Whatever it is, you've got it."

Eoghan reached the final in 2008, finishing in a very respectable third place behind runners-up JLS and winner Alexandra Burke.

As well as his vocals, a lot was spoken about Eoghan's off-screen antics with fellow contestant Diana Vickers as romance rumours began to swirl.

The pair, who got close while living in The X Factor house, were snapped sharing a passionate kiss and Simon even called them "just a couple of kids in love".

Eoghan Quigg was a massive hit on The X Factor in 2008 (Rex)

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The most revealing display of affection was when Diana was dramatically booted out of the competition in the semi-final.

After losing the public vote, Diana returned to the X Factor stage for a final emotional rendition of Dido's 'White Flag'.

But a devastated Eoghan rushed out on stag in the middle of her last song to give her a massive hug, which cut the performance off before the end.

"She's a really lovely girl and we have got a strong bond together. We'll just have to wait and see what happens," he said at the time when asked about their relationship.

However, Eoghan was reportedly "gutted" when Diana decided to stop any romance so she could concentrate on her career.

"Right now, I'm not going to think about anything like that," she said while discussing relationship with Eoghan, but did admit she wanted to see him more.

"I don't know what's going to happen. There's a difference between loving each other and being in love. I love him to bits."

Eoghan and Diana got very close during the series (PA)

Just a few months later, Eoghan admitted he no longer had any contact with Diana and confirmed he was a "single pringle now".

He explained: "We were really really good friends, but there wasn't a relationship like everyone thought there was. But there wasn't. We're not in touch now as I'm really, really, really busy."

Big things were expected of Eoghan after the X Factor and he was due to be signed to mentor Simon Cowell's record label.

However, Simon pulled out and the young singer eventually signed up with RCA Records to release his self-titled album Eoghan Quigg in April 2009.

When asked if he missed Simon Cowell, who declined to sign him as promised after the show finished, Eoghan said emphatically: "Not really, no."

It debuted at No. 1 in the Irish Albums Chart but was only 14th in the UK - with sole single '28,000 Friends' peaking at No. 96 in the UK Singles Chart.

The album was heavily criticised and Eoghan was dropped from RCA due to disappointing sales.

Eoghan did make a bid to represent Ireland in the Eurovision Song Contest in 2014 with 'The Movie Song' but he was finished second in the content.

Eoghan took a few trips to the tattoo parlour (eoghanquigg/Instagram)

Deciding his music career was over, Eoghan then moved into football and Nothern Irish football club Coagh United FC in 2015 before moving to Portstewart FC.

This coincided with the baby-faced singer beefing up and getting himself a huge sleeve tattoo on his left arm.

His distinctive spiky hairstyle is now a thing of the past and Eoghan underwent a hair transplant in 2020,

Eoghan announced on Instagram that he had become an ambassador for a hair clinic in Istanbul and people reached out to him for support after he shared his progress.

"I have to say it is the best decision I have ever made. For men, losing their hair can be such a stressful experience and one that we maybe don’t often open up or talk about enough," he said in a post with pictures of his progress.

He continued: " I know that from my experience when I started to notice my hair thinning and receding I was so insecure about it and I always tried to cover it up and successfully did for years

"Since getting the hairline transplant and being open and honest about it, I’ve had so many men and women messaging me to say fair play, how they want to get it done, asking how do they go about it, cost, aftercare, does it really work etc and it’s been so refreshing actually finding out how many people where feeling how I used to feel and that I wasn’t the only one."

The semi-pro footballer hasn't given up on fame completely as he started radio presenting in 2017 and has been hosting showbiz news for Irish station Q Radio ever since.

Eoghan with his girlfriend Amy (Instagram)
Eoghan shared a sweet snap with baby daughter Emmy Belle (Instagram/ @eoghanquigg)

He is still available for music bookings and regularly performs acoustic gigs for his loyal fans, as well as being part of a popular Irish wedding band The Housem8s.

As for his love life, Eoghan and his girlfriend Amy Campbell first started dating in 2015 and the two bought a house together four years later.

They live in Derry with their daughter Emmy Belle, who was born in April last year, and Amy's two children from a previous relationship.

Before the birth of his daughter, Eoghan discussed how excited he was to become a father.

"We are both delighted, absolutely over the moon," he told The Belfast Telegraph.

"In a very strange and tough year, it's fantastic news and has definitely turned 2020 into a very memorable year for us - in a good way."

Eoghan frequently shares snaps of his day-to-day life with his family, referring to baby Emmy Belle as his "pride and joy".

Last year he shared a snap of Emmy asleep on his chest as he casually looked into the distance with the caption: "The perfect Friday night."

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