Nearly 20 years after debuting on ITV1, X Factor mania has officially left us, and nobody is sorry about it, least of all the contestants. In fact, a number of former contestants from the UK edition have recently come out of the woodwork to describe how the sometimes manipulative and hawkish producers drove them to despair. Here’s what some of the shows biggest stars have to say about their moment in the spotlight, and the price they feel they paid for it.

Cher Lloyd:

Having joined the show at just 17 in 2010, Lloyd recently took to TikTok to share her experience in the form of a short song:

‘How could I be so naive? They sold me the dream just to exploit me.

‘Said darling darling you’ll go far if you shake that ass and date a star. And if the record’s taking off we’ll take the money.’

This isn’t Lloyd’s first criticism of the show either, having previously complained of being ‘thrown to the wolves’, experiencing racism and death threats during and after competing.

Jedward

The tall-haired Irish twins came in for a lot of flack during their time on X Factor, and in a recent series of tweets were ready to dish it all back. The tweets speak for themselves…

The twins clearly had a rotten time on the show, and aren’t afraid to tell the world, even speaking up for the members of 1D who they see as having been muzzled by their contracts. An X Factor spokesperson said: “Duty of care to our contestants is of the utmost importance to us. We take welfare very seriously and have measures in place to ensure that they are supported.” Simon Cowell doesn’t seem to have commented personally.

Rebecca Ferguson

Rebecca Ferguson alleges that during her 2009 stint on X Factor she was bullied, threatened and racially abused by executives, and has since met with the Culture secretary of the UK to testify to the serious problems with talent treatment within the recording and entertainment industry. In a statement released about her meeting she said:

‘People have warned me for years about doing this or have encouraged me not to speak out, and unfortunately, I realise that my career may be once again affected by speaking out.

‘However, enough is enough and musicians/artists/creatives need change, a lot of my damage has been done but this is about protecting people in the future.

‘We need an immediate inquiry to take place to change the way people are allowed to operate in this industry!

The Rest…

Various other winners and contestants have spoken out about X Factor, SyCo entertainment (Cowell’s TV production company and music label) and Cowell himself, with first ever winner Steve Brookstein writing that his experience ‘was the stuff dreams were made of. It became the ultimate nightmare.’ Although they haven’t spoken publicly, most of 1 Direction left SyCo for their solo careers, while Little Mix left the label as a group. Simon Cowell’s extreme power in the entertainment business has waned, and the days of the star-making talent show seem to be behind us. But we all know the power of a reboot, and Cowell certainly has no shame when it comes to bad facelifts…

BUZZ!!!