UK Edition
Feeds
Have you recovered from Saturday's result yet?
"Yes, I have thank you. I'd still like to be there obviously, but I'm fine."
Do you think the first song choice might have brought about your downfall? Sharon said it was "too subtle" and Simon called it "dreary".
"I don't really understand why Simon said that, because when I did 'Fields of Gold', everyone liked it. That's what Louis had in his head when he picked 'Songbird' for me. You know, if I was making an album, I'd probably go down the Eva Cassidy route, and I was just trying to show two different sides of me. At the end of the day, you can't just belt out humongous songs all the time - and even belting it out didn't save me, did it?"
Do you think you were judged fairly throughout the competition? Simon was often noticeably harsher towards you than the other judges.
"At the end of the day, it's a TV show. Nobody would want to watch it if the judges just sat there telling us how amazing we are week after week. Everybody wants you to be slagged off; that's what they watch for. To be honest, if I was sitting in that seat, I'd be doing some slagging too."
Aside from Louis of course, which judge did you particularly look up to?
"I loved Sharon. She was such a laugh behind the scenes - she's a very grounded, family-orientated lady. She was really sweet to my kids, you know."
Did you get on well with Dannii?
"I got on really well with Dannii too. She's another really grounded lady, and she was very hands on with her lads.... that sounds disgusting, but I don't mean it like that!"
How did you feel when Louis aimed a few jibes at her last week?
"I was thinking 'Get in there Louis! Go on and give her some!' At the end of the day, I'm his act and she said something out of order, so good on him for getting stuck in there. Behind the scenes we were all laughing and joking about it, so it doesn't really matter."
How did you find Louis as a mentor?
"If you can get over the manager side of Louis, he's such a sweet guy. He called me all day yesterday, saying things like 'I'm watching you now and you were fantastic - I still can't believe you're out!' He's a really nice, genuine guy who wears his heart on his sleeve, and he can't help that."
What do you mean by his "manager side"? Can Louis be very ruthless and business-like?
"Oh my god yeah! He's very, very good at what he does. When he needs to be efficient, he really does become the pushy manager. He's like two different people - he's got a hard, outer edge, but he's very soft and chewy in the middle. You know, he can be very business-like and he wouldn't be where he is today if he wasn't."
You said you were going to have a bit of a makeover if you won the show. Are those plans on hold now?
"I can't afford it now! Maybe Digital Spy could pay for it?"
We're on a very tight budget here, you know...
"I don't need that much work! What are you trying to say, you cheeky b**ger!"
Moving swiftly on... What did you learn from your time on The X Factor?
"How to be nice to everybody, even if you feel grumpy."
Did it get a bit tense in the X Factor house towards the end?
"You know what, the X Factor house never got tense for me, because I ruled it. I was the mummy of the house. Everyone in there was really nice, and because I was that much older than them, they'd all come to me for advice and a cuddle. The only tension's between the judges - it's a real good pantomime and I enjoyed every minute of it!"
Is there anything you wish you'd done differently?
"I'd like to have lost some weight before I went in. Is it really a singing competition, you know? That's what I'm asking myself today."
What have you got planned next?
"I've got the X Factor tour in January, and gigs all over the country before then, but I just need to get my head around it all before I even think about what I want to do long-term. I'd love to make an album, but we'll see what comes along."
Would you consider something like musical theatre?
"I would do anything! I wouldn't consider doing porn, because I'm a bit old and drab for that, but I'd be up for anything else."
Who do you think will win the final?
"I think Rhydian might win the final, but my vote goes for Leon because I love him to bits. He's a lot better than he's shown on TV so far. He's only a young kid, but I really think he can become great. I think he's the one who really needs to win the show for his dreams to come alive. I think Same Difference, bless them, will go straight into kids' TV, because they'll be fantastic at that. Rhydian will be able to walk straight onto the West End stage, but Leon really needs to win the competition to get where he wants to be."
Do you think his nerves will hold out? He hasn't been the most composed contestant.
"He's not the most composed, no, but you haven't seen Leon as Leon. He's such a wacky character - he has me in stitches sometimes! Don't forget that he's only done karaoke before. To stand up in front of all of those people every week is absolutely petrifying for him. Someone needs to grab him, teach him how to control his nerves, give him a few vocal lessons and he could be a great, great artist."
So you'll be supporting him from the audience next week?
"Yes, but I might be drunk!"
The X Factor concludes Saturday at 7.15pm on ITV1.
