Joe McElderry had the time of his life when he defeated Olly Murs to win the ITV talent show X Factor. McElderry, mentored by judge Cheryl Cole, won 61.3 percent of the votes and went home with a £1m recording contract. “I can’t even speak”, said the 18-year-old. “Thank you so much everyone”.
Cole was ecstatic over the win. “I feel over the moon, I’m absolutely delighted”, she said. “The right person won. I’m so proud of you. The North East are going to be going mad”.
Later on, McElderry spoke to ITV2’s Xtra Factor about his feelings. “I couldn’t believe it. I feel like I’m floating…I just feel like jelly”, he said. “I’ve had the best experience of my life”.
Meanwhile, Murs, the 25-year-old runner up, praised McElderry for his “phenomenal” performance.
“I came out there fighting, did the best I could, and the best guy won. Joe deserves it”, he said.
Show creator Simon Cowell told McElderry that he was “gutted for Olly” but “thrilled for you because you’re brilliant”. Murs, mentored by Cowell, was the favourite to win. However, Cowell said before the final on Sunday that “there could be an upset”.
When the announcement was made, McElderry performed Miley Cyrus’ “The Climb”. The song will be the single for this year’s show and it is predicted to top the charts on Christmas.
“Christmas chart success is virtually assured”, Nick Weinberg of Ladbrokes said.
The event on Sunday included performances from Sir Paul McCartney, George Michael, Leona Lewis and 2008 X Factor winner Alexandra Burke.
