Get all your news in one place.
100’s of premium titles.
One app.
Start reading
Daily Mirror
Daily Mirror
Entertainment
Louise Lavigueur

Former X Factor star unrecognisable 15 years after dividing fans on hit ITV show

Former X Factor star Diana Vickers has appeared almost unrecognisable 15 years after finding fame on the reality show.

The blonde beauty, 31, has ditched her once instant recognisable ' bird nest hairstyle and posed up a storm appearing in stunning backless gold dress at the Comedy Awards last night.

The singer-songwriter was just 17 when she appeared bare foot on stage and wowed judges with her quirky take on iconic tracks including Michael Jackson's Man In The Mirror and Damien Rice track Blower's Daughter.

Now all grown up she stepped out at the red carpet event with a swanky gold number and let her blonde hair cascade down her bare back.

The teen star was one time mentored by Cheryl on the show and went all the way to the semi-final, with Alexandra Burke winning the show and JLS coming in second place.

Her peculiar hand movements didn't go unnoticed and she attracted her being labelled "The Claw".

Diana Vickers looks incredible in a rare red carpet appearance (PA)
Diana on the X Factor was described as a 'little hippie' (ITV)

Louis Walsh dubbed her a 'little hippie' and Judge Danni Minogue said she didn't like her song choice as she performed Coldplay track Yellow in week six, after skipping a week of the show due to laryngitis.

After X Factor fame she treaded the boards in the lead role in The Rise And Fall Of Little Voice in the West End.

But her passion for music led her to release two albums, Songs From The Tainted Cherry Tree in 2010, and Music To Make Boys Cry in 2013.

She landed her first movie role in 2014 indie surfing movie The Perfect Wave and a Sky sitcom called Give Out Girls.

Diana wowed in stunning backless gold link dress (PA)
The former X Factor star has pursued solo career and is an accomplished West End star before pairing up with a pal to produce a podcast (dianavickersofficial/Instagram)

Other roles to her resume include comedy play The Duck House, and the Rocky Horror Show UK tour and Dusty Springfield inspired musical Son Of A Preacher Man.

Her unique dress sense and flare for fashion led her teaming up with online retailer Very.co.uk for her first fashion line.

Diana has previously opened up to followers about being in “pain” with endometriosis — a often painful disorder in which tissue similar to the lining of the uterus grows outside the uterus in places like the ovaries.

Vickers was described as 'marmite' when appearing on the X Factor for her quirky offering (BIGPICTURESPHOTO.COM)
Vickers has spoken of her struggles with endometriosis (Diana Vickers/Instagram)

She told The Daily Star: “I’d noticed a change in my body, and as a woman, you feel shame in that you don’t really know what’s going on, and it’s very confusing. I was struggling.”

More recently she has attracted praise for her podcast with her best friend 'which started out as a living room lockdown bit of fun'

Ki & Dee air their dirty laundry in podcast format with a 'part stand up comedy, part mental breakdown'.

Sign up to read this article
Read news from 100’s of titles, curated specifically for you.
Already a member? Sign in here
Related Stories
Top stories on inkl right now
Our Picks
Fourteen days free
Download the app
One app. One membership.
100+ trusted global sources.