The X Factor is going to get a DRAMATIC celebrity shake-up

The ITV show 'will be unrecognisable' after this huge change

X Factor being axed

by Hollie Richardson |
Updated on

After 15 years, The X Factor as we know it is about to get a huge overhaul in order to make way for a fresh new format that will hopefully boost viewing figures - and it sounds very exciting! According to The Sun, celebrity contestants and former X Factor stars will potentially take part in the auditions as part of the change.

Swipe through to see all the winners of The X Factor...

Gallery

The X Factor winners: Where are they now? (slider)

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CREDIT: ITV

Steve Brookstein, series one, 2004

Things went downhill super quickly after the high of winning the first ever series of The X Factor, and Steve's still bitter… even now, 12 years later. He's written a book about it called Getting Over The X. Come on now Steve, perhaps you should give it a read.These days he's more into childish rants on Twitter about, well, pretty much everything except making music. He did release an album in 2014, and just to show he's moved on he called it Forgotten Man. It didn't chart.

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CREDIT: ITV

Shayne Ward, series two, 2005

It's easy to forget Corrie's Aidan Connor is actually; Shayne Ward from The X Factor in a disguise. Alright, that should be: in a new job. It's still weird. He's shamed his role and won Best Newcomer at the National Television Awards in January 2016. Fast work.He's also been moving fast in his love life and is dating former Hollyoaks star Sophie Austin, after the couple's romance blossomed in 2016 following some Twitter flirting. Cute.

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CREDIT: ITV

Leona Lewis, series three, 2006

You probably won't remember Leona Lewis as she hasn't done much since. Jokes. Leona's a superstar. A superstar that loves animals. A lot.She loves dogs. She released a single with Diane Warren called We Are All (Looking For Home) in support of a dog charity. She loves cats. Well, she's starring in Cats on Broadway which is kind of the same thing. But she really loves horses. The star has featured in Horse and Hound in the past, too.

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CREDIT: Instagram/Leon Jackson

Leon Jackson, series four, 2007

Soulful Scotsman Leon Jackson clinched the Christmas Number One in 2007 but faded fast and was dropped by the label shortly after. Nowadays his most notable achievements are his abs. He's been hard at work. They're good abs. Well done Leon.

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CREDIT: ITV

Alexandra Burke, series five, 2008

Alexandra Burke's winning single was a cover of Leonard Cohen's classic Hallelujah, which broke records on it's way to Number One. Hallelujah feels like a fitting introduction for the singer who's now taken the leading role of Deloris Van Cartier in Craig Revel-Horwood's new production of Sister Act in London's West End. She's still doing some shows of her own, is an ambassador for Slim Fast AND she took part in the 2017 series of Strictly Come Dancing.

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CREDIT: ITV

Joe McElderry, series six, 2009

In 2009 it was Joe McElderry who won The X Factor but it wasn't him who won the Christmas Number One. It was the anti-X-Factor campaign who scored the top slot with Rage Against The Machine's Killing In The Name Of. Chin up Joe, you've done alright. You've even sung for the Queen. He has sung in a touring version of Joseph and the Technicolour Dreamcoat and did charity cycle rides. Good lad.

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CREDIT: ITV

Matt Cardle, series seven, 2010

The handsome one with the guitar, Matt Cardle is building up to releasing his fourth studio album called Higher Power. He's still looking hot, still playing gigs, and even joined YolanDa Brown on a few of her shows this year.Scandal! In 2016 there was a massive lawsuit filed against none other than Ed Sheeran, claiming Sheeran's huge hit Photographs was a carbon copy of Cardle's Amazing. It turns out it was the songwriters who filed it, and Cardle's distanced himself… it looked murky and in 2017 Ed settled the £16million lawsuit.

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CREDIT: Getty

Little Mix, series eight, 2011

Well, where to start with these ladies. Let's start with the music, cos that's what it's all about, right? The band are currently working on their fifth studio album and in 2018 they did their Summer Hits tour around the world.

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CREDIT: ITV

Ben Haenow, series 11, 2014

We can almost do this as a tickbox list now. Christmas number one: tick. Record breaking sales figures: no tick. Duet with big name real celeb: tick (it was Kelly Clarkson). Album released: tick. Didn't make top twenty: tick. Dropped by Syco: tick.All that's left is the run in a West End show and a run at Butlins. Though he does seem delightfully loved-up with his dancer wife Jessica Jones.

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James Arthur, series nine, 2012

James Arthur has had a rocky road since winning the show - like so many of the winners – but he did seem to bring it on himself. After dropping a very dodgy tune with homophobic tones, iTunes offered refunds on his debut album and Syco dropped him.Then he released Say You Won't Let Go, Syco took him back and EVERYTHING changed. James is officially back, people.

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CREDIT: ITV

Sam Bailey, series 10, 2013

Bexley's Sam Bailey hit the Christmas number one slot with her winning single Skyscraper and toured with Queen Bey in the UK leg of her The Mrs Carter Show World Tour. Then, in what seems like a natural next step for The X Factor winners, she took a role in a popular West End musical. In this case it was Chicago.

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CREDIT: ITV

Louisa Johnson, series 12, 2015

2015's winner Louisa has had mixed success…her dreadful single charted the lowest of all the winners' singles of all of the time, only managing number 12 in the Christmas singles chart. Cripes.Her follow up Tears, with Clean Bandit, did much better by reaching number five, so it's swings and roundabouts. But we're not worried because a change of hair colour caused an Instagram storm in summer 2016 AND her two proper solo singles So Good and Best Behaviour have been bloody brilliant.

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CREDIT: Getty

Matt Terry, series 13, 2016

Matt Terry's the show's latest winner, going on to release Ed Sheeran-penned winner's single When Christmas Comes Around. He then teamed up with Enrique Iglesias and actual Sean Paul on the Spanglish remix of Subeme La Radio before releasing his proper debut single Sucker for You.Oh, and he made an appearance on Celebrity First Dates in support of Stand Up To Cancer.

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CREDIT: ITV/The X Factor

Rak-Su, series 14, 2017

Rak-Su beat Grace Davies in an epic final showdown on last year's X Factor. This summer the Rak-Su boys have been performing up and down the country on the festival circuit and have just released a new banger of a single called Pyro Ting.

A show insider told the newspaper, "Simon wants to stop the bleed before it’s too late and is happy to take drastic action. He knows everything has a life-span in showbiz so the only way to stop that is to give the viewers something new and very different."

They added, "There will definitely be a show this year... But Simon hopes it will be almost unrecognisable by the time it returns."

There has been speculation that the show is being axed, but a representative told Closer Online, "The X Factor has not been axed and will be back on ITV later this year."

Simon Cowell
©Getty

Just last week, the ITV Director of Television Kevin Lygo said XF was still a "really big show" for ITV. The show peaked back in 2010 - when Simon Cowell, Cheryl Cole, Dannii Minogue and Louis Walsh were the judges - with 19 million viewers. But it slumped last year with just four million viewers.

Simon has put a stop to filming while deciding what to do with the show. Apparently, the X Factor team were set to start work this week, but their contracts were cancelled and shooting halted.

It is also unclear if Robbie and Ayda Williams and Louis Tomlinson will return for judging duties alongside Simon. The worrying drop in viewing figures is said to be down to the continuing and growing success of the show's BBC rival weekend series - Strictly Come Dancing.

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