Jedward celebrate X Factor axe as Simon Cowell takes ITV show off-air for good

Former X Factor contestants Jedward are among past stars of the show who are celebrating its end after an almost two decade run.

Syco owner and man in charge of The X Factor Simon Cowell cancelled the show after viewing figures began dwindling and winners were making less of an impact.

Since former contestants of the show have come forward, it has also been marred by controversy over how it allegedly exploited its performers.

Irish singing twins John and Edward Grimes, better known as Jedward, competed in 2009 and have been quite open on Twitter on many things but today they wrote: “X Factor has been axed Mission Complete.”

This year Jedward launched an angry rant against Simon and the X Factor on their Twitter account.

The duo wrote: “We’re sending courage and strength to all artists being f***ed over! It ends now.

“Eating disorders and depression are very common in the music industry and it’s because nobody cares about the artist’s mental health, only the money!”

Katie Waissel, who competed in 2010, shared the hashtags “Journey for justice”, “break the cycle” and “gratitude”.

She had previously claimed she was sexually assaulted by a former X Factor employee at a hotel in America.

The singer said she was left “paralysed with shock” after the incident took place in 2010.

Simon Cowell’s company Syco launched an investigation, but the man, who is no longer employed by Syco, denied having done anything wrong.

Katie chose not to make a formal complaint as she was pregnant at the time and did not want to further increase her stress.

The traumatic experience left her regretting ever taking part on the singing competition.

The 2010 X Factor winner Matt Cardle was surprised there had not been more tragedies in former contestants given the lack of aftercare as he said the show “was hell”.

Cher Lloyd, another contestant from 2010, has also come forward about the “controlling” nature of the competition.

The X Factor last aired in 2018 and is now being taken off the air by Simon Cowell for at least a few years.

However, sources close to the 61-year-old music mogul believe The X Factor is “unlikely” to ever return to UK TV screens.

At its peak The X Factor had 12million viewers on Saturday nights.

It was first broadcast in 2004 and won by Steve Brookstein, now 52.

The music competition shot to fame; JLS, Leona Lewis, Alexandra Burke, James Arthur, Olly Murs and Stacey Solomon among many others.

Unique and quirky acts also gained cult status, such as identical twins Jedward and Chico with his “It’s Chico Time” catchphrase.

Dalton Harris, 24, was the winner of the last show in December 2018.

An average of 5.3million watched Dalton win, much lower than the 17.2million viewers who saw Matt Cardle win in 2010.

That same year the competition also had boyband One Direction, and the following year saw Little Mix, who went on to become the most successful British girl group since the Spice Girls.

The show is licensed to 57 countries and Italy’s 2017 runners-up, rock band Maneskin, won Eurovision earlier this year, and are also currently top of the Spotify global charts.

A show insider said of The X Factor: “Globally, it is still a phenomenon and rakes in millions every year. But in the UK, there is no question it has become slightly stale.

“Simon remains at the top of his game and knows how to make a hit. He owns the rights to the show, and it’s his call — not ITV’s — whether or not he drops it.

“Clearly the last thing he wants is for X Factor to fizzle out with a whimper and become a bit of a joke — especially in contrast to the show in its pomp.

“It is still on the back-burner and there’s the option to return it in 2023, with auditions next summer, but a lot will ride on his new format Walk The Line.”

Simon Cowell is now focusing his attention on new show, Walk the Line, which is described as a “high octane, nail-biting” format, that has contestants perform in front of Cowell and a celebrity judging panel.

The top two performers of the night can either cash out with a “life-changing” sum of money or stay in the competition, and risk losing the money if they are eliminated at the next stage.

An insider said: “There are high hopes for it and it will air this winter.”

An ITV source added: “There is a lot of money at stake and the concept is fantastic, it’s a bit like a musical version of Who Wants To Be A Millionaire?

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Source: Celebrities - dailystar.co.uk