Joe McElderry

Joe McElderry began his singing career as a contestant on the 2009 series of The X Factor. Under the guidance of Cheryl Cole, McElderry was eventually voted the winner of the competition and soon scored a UK No.1 with BRIT award-nominated single, 'The Climb'. He returned in October 2010 to release debut album Wide Awake, which peaked at three in the UK chart. In July 2010, McElderry publicly came out as gay and has since been named as role model for young homosexuals by equality organisation Stonewall.