Little Mix boss Simon Cowell concedes Xmas No.1 defeat to Military Wives

Simon Cowell has conceded defeat in the Christmas chart battle between Little Mix and The Military Wives Choir.

X Factor winners Little Mix reached number one on Sunday (December 18) with their debut single 'Cannonball', but Gareth Malone's collective have long been tipped to top the rankings on Christmas Day with their charity track 'Wherever You Are'.



Taking to Twitter after it was revealed that The Military Wives' topped Amazon and iTunes charts this week, Cowell congratulated the 100-strong choir for having raised a tremendous amount for The Royal British Legion and the Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen Families Association.

"Congrats to Little Mix & congrats to Military Wives," he wrote. "It's a great cause & a worthy Christmas No.1."



It was revealed today that The Military Wives Choir sold 242,000 copies in their first day of release, 32,000 more than Little Mix shifted in the entirety of last week.

Amazon reports that it expects sales of 'Wherever You Are' to remain 100 times higher than its nearest rivals in the Christmas No.1 race.

The choir recently performed the song for Prime Minister David Cameron outside 10 Downing Street, as well as playing at the Royal Albert Hall last month.



If they are unable to overtake The Military Wives, Little Mix will become the third winning X Factor act after Steve Brookstein and Joe McElderry to miss out on the Christmas number one.

Brookstein was beaten by Band Aid 20's 'Do They Know It's Christmas' in 2004, while 2009 champion McElderry lost out to Rage Against The Machine's 'Killing In The Name Of' following an anti-X Factor Facebook campaign.

'Cannonball' has already achieved the lowest first week sales for an X Factor winner's single since Brookstein's 'Against All Odds', with less than half of the total posted by 2010 victor Matt Cardle's 'When We Collide'.