Evans: 'Hard work begins after X Factor'

Former X Factor contestant Niki Evans has claimed that the hard work really begins when the ITV1 show ends.

Evans said that it is down to acts' characters whether they seize the opportunities that the show creates, arguing that only the strongest-willed would survive in the industry.

The singer, who finished fourth in 2007, added that she has sympathy for X Factor alumni such as former winner Leon Jackson, who was dropped by Simon Cowell's SyCo label earlier this year.

"The thing is this business is really, really harsh. You've got to be really strong and really push yourself," she told DS. "Leon won because he was a young boy from Scotland with a decent voice. People felt sorry for him and picked up the phone. It's a harsh reality if you don't sell enough singles, you'll be gone.

"I do feel sorry for Leon and the other people who have been dropped, but at the end of the day, they got a lot out of it. It's their fault if they don't take that chance and run with it. They're never going to get it again.

"You don't become an overnight star on X Factor. The work really begins when you come out."

> Click here to read our full interview and watch a performance from Niki Evans