TV
Did you expect to end up in the bottom two on Saturday?
"Well, being first on is always tough unless you're supremely talented or give an amazing performance, but actually I thought my performance came across really well. But as soon as I found out I was in the bottom two, I knew it was going to be hard to get past Rachel. The judges don't like me, do they?"
Did you find it hard to deal with their comments?
"I'd already prepared myself for their comments. To be honest I enjoyed being up there so much that when it came to the judges' comments I switched off entirely. I didn't want them to spoil my moment. I am so grateful to the public for keeping me in this long because it kinda shut Louis up a bit. I was starting to wonder, 'How far can we push this and how much can we wind Louis up?'"
Was Louis pleasant if you bumped into him backstage?
"Louis was always really nice backstage. On Saturday he shook my hand, congratulated me on having a good run and wished me luck for the future. There's no hard feelings as far as I'm concerned - he was just doing what he thought he needed to do, probably to protect his own act. Maybe he was thinking, 'Hang on there, you could be an upset here'?"
Did the constant negative feedback affect your performances?
"I don't think so to be honest. I was more affected by the press. When people were saying I had a sob story and I was using my wife's death, that did hurt me a little bit. I would never play on it and I mentioned her because I was asked. When I was in the bottom two against Scott, I honestly thought it would be the last time I ever sang on the show and the producers said, 'You should sing something that's really important to you'. I sang a song for my wife because she got me onto the show so it's only fair that I said goodbye on that note."
Did you think you could win?
"I never thought I could win the show, come on! The talent this year is so amazing, but what kept me going was the fact I had something different. No one in the market is doing the big ballads like Tom Jones and Michael Bolton used to do. Hopefully the public saw the potential in me to do that kind of stuff."
What's your take on the uproar that greeted Laura White's exit?
"I was a bit upset to be honest because people actually blamed me for that. People said, 'It's your fault, you should be out instead'. I wasn't even in the bottom two! At the end of the day it's a public vote and you can't blame me for taking my chances. Laura is amazingly talented and I know she's going to be fine. That talent can't go hidden for long."
What was Dannii like as a mentor?
"Unbelievable. Whenever I needed to call her, she was there. I knew she believed in me and if I was feeling down and couldn't call my family, she'd be the one to pick me up. I wouldn't change anything about her."
Why do you think she and Rachel haven't enjoyed the easiest working relationship?
"I've got to be honest with you, it's really been blown out of proportion. There's no problem there. Rachel is a strong character and maybe she can be a bit loud and say things that are misconstrued, but they're getting on fine now. When I left it was all gravy between them."
What's next for you?
"The big thing for me is The X Factor tour. I'm hoping it's going to lead to some work for me. My dream is to do the job I love and pay the bills by doing it."
The X Factor continues Saturday at 7.25pm on ITV1.
