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Daily Mirror
Daily Mirror
Entertainment
Hana Carter

X Factor finalist Tabby O'Callaghan unrecognisable 18 years after first series

He finished third on the first-ever series of The X factor, but Tabby O'Callaghan looks completely different 18 years on.

The singer has ditched his black mullet with dyed red strips and opted for a more conservative do in his natural colour.

Despite finishing third in the competition way back in 2004, Tabby still continues to perform across the UK.

Tabby, now 40, first auditioned with his band DZ5, but after not winning the judges over, he re-auditioned as a solo artist.

Singing Bon Jovi's Keep The Faith, he won the approval of all three judges - Simon Cowell, Louis Walsh and Sharon Osbourne.

Steve Brookstein was crowned the winner of that year's competition, although he didn't quite reach the same level of success as the likes of One Direction, Olly Murs, Little Mix and Leona Lewis.

He was first greeted by presenter Kate Thornton, who hosted the show before she was given the axe and Dermot O'Leary stepped in.

Steve created a divide between viewers of the show, with some loving him and some not seeing what all the fuss was about.

Whilst he was popular for his old-school soul classics, he struggled to win critics over, and Sharon was his biggest.

She branded him "smarmy and mediocre".

Six million votes were cast for Steve, who was eventually crowned the show's winner - a record he held for five years until Joe McElderry slightly edged the record in 2009.

He then went on to star in his own documentary which followed his journey to release his first album - Number One.

The singer smashed his way into the Irish charts, before releasing a second succesful track Gotta Get Control, in 2011.

His Instagram bio reads: "I'm a guitar strumming singer from Ireland 'been lucky in life I get to do what I love doing!"

As well as ditching his signature hair do, he has also has a physical transformation after hitting the gym.

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Tabby isn't the only one to have a major glow-up since appearing on the show.

Earlier this month Leon Jackson shocked fans with his new looks after moving to LA to pursue his music career.

The singer made it to the final of the competition in 2007 and his winner's single When You Believe made it to number one in the UK charts.

Do you have a story to sell? Get in touch with us at webcelebs@mirror.co.uk or call us direct 0207 29 33033.

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