Who is Lucie Jones? The West End leading lady who…

Who is Lucie Jones? The West End leading lady who started out on the X Factor

Lucie Jones has come a long way since she first stood on the X on the audition stage way back in 2009. A teenager from the small village of Pentyrch, Lucie wowed judges and audiences alike at her first X Factor audition with a stunning rendition of Whitney Houston's classic I Will Always Love You.

Now, you'll find the 31-year-old treading the boards at Victoria's Apollo Theatre as the leading lady in Stephen Schwartz's Wicked. Lucie stars as the green-skinned Elphaba, the origin story of the girl destined to become the Wicked Witch of the West.

But what happened in between? We have a look at Lucie's journey from her start in Simon Cowell's machine to her green debut.

Life on the X Factor

Lucie was just 18 when she took the plunge and decided to try to make her name on Simon Cowell's hit singing contest in 2009. Then in its sixth season, the show was at its peak with its previous winners Alexandra Burke and Leona Lewis shooting to global stardom.

Lucie made it through to the live shows where shared the stage with the likes of Stacey Solomon, Olly Murs and Joe McElderry and was mentored by Dannii Minogue. Her song choices included Sweet Child Of Mine and My Funny Valentine before she was voted off in week five.

Lucie's departure from the show was a controversial topic. Chosen for the final showdown in the bottom two with Louis Walsh's novelty duo Jedward, Lucie was eliminated after judge Simon Cowell voted to save twins John and Edward. The decision caused outrage with viewers at home and more than 1,000 people complained.

Years after the event, Lucie opened up about her X Factor elimination experience. "I did feel Simon was victimising me and in some ways, he was hypocritical for not saving me as he knew I could sing," she said three years later.

"I was so upset I burst into tears in front of the judges. Afterwards, Simon walked out of the studio and tapped me on the nose and said, 'Chin up, love,' but all I could think was, 'I want to punch you!'"

Modelling and stage debut

Following her departure from The X Factor, Lucie was signed to modelling agency Select Model Management where she became the face of Wonderbra's Full Effects campaign. In 2010, she was signed by Cameron Mackintosh to play Cosette in the West End production of Les Misérables.

A number of super exciting roles followed for Lucie, including Victoria in the musical version of American Psycho, Maureen in the UK tour of Rent and as Fantine in Les Misérables. She also took on her first leading role as the magnificent Elle Woods in Legally Blonde. In 2021, she took on her leading role as Elphaba and has taken the West End by storm since.

Eurovision

In 2017, Britain pinned its hopes on Lucie when it was announced that she would be representing the nation in the Eurovision song contest. She belted out the powerful ballad Never Give Up On You at the final in Kyiv, with host Graham Norton labelling her "one of our strongest entrants in years".

Lucie raked in 111 points, the most we'd seen since 2011 and came in a respectable 15th. Speaking after her performance, she said: "That. Was. Incredible - unbelievable feeling. Celebrate diversity folks, I will NEVER give up on you".

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