Ben Mills has pledged to carry on singing despite being voted out of The X Factor at the semi-finals stage.

The long-haired rocker sang Everything I Do by Bryan Adams and U2's Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For but polled fewer phone votes than Leona Lewis and Ray Quinn, who will go head-to-head in the final next Saturday.

Ben said: "The show isn't directed to people like me, like rockers. It's a pop competition. I expected to get a little bit of exposure and carry on with my band but as it happened I got through to the semi-final."

Both Ray and Leona cried during their performances and Ben's joked he might have picked up more votes if he'd turned on the waterworks too, but he says his singing would have suffered.

He added: "When I cry, I really cry. I can't have a couple of tears and walk away. If I cry, that's me gone, on the floor, tissues everywhere."