Chico speaks about loss of brother

Chico Slimani has spoken about the heartbreak of losing his younger brother to leukaemia.

The X Factor contestant was devastated at the age of fourteen when Faisal died before his seventh birthday.

"He was such a handsome little boy - a beautiful angel, a perfect child," Chico told The People. "No wonder God took him.

"Faisal was an extraordinary person. I used to just sit there in awe, transfixed by what he was saying. He was an unbelievable kid."

He added, "We used to visit him in hospital and play games and talk. He was very close to me. When the doctors told us he wouldn't pull through it hit me like a sledgehammer. You don't think someone is going to pass away, you just think they'll get better. I wished he had stayed around a little longer so I could have got to know him more."