X FACTOR'S NIKI BACKS LEON FOR WIN
Latest X Factor reject Niki Evans has revealed that even if she had got through to the final - she would have given her place to Leon Jackson.
The mum-of-two failed to make it to the final three after her performances of Fleetwood Mac's Songbird and the Whitney Houston song, One Moment In Time.
The school catering manager insisted she was happy to leave - and thinks Leon is the worthy winner of the hit series.
Speaking at a news conference, she said: "Leon is only five years older than my oldest son. There is no way I would take it off a young kid like that. It's a really difficult situation - you want to stay in but how can you compete against an 18-year-old boy when you're old enough to be his mum?
"It's a horrible situation to be in and if they had called my name - I would've said to give it to him instead. I believe in him that much."
She continued: "I so want him to win - not that I don't like Same Difference or Rhydian - but I think their paths have already been carved whether they win or they don't. Leon needs to win to get his dream."
The 34-year-old originally applied for the show after finding an application form intended for her in her dad's belongings after he died - but she was determined not to play on her story to win extra votes.
"Louis wanted me to cry," she said. "We all know why I decided to do X Factor and they did try to make me sing Dance With My Father Again and all the rest of it - but my dad was a real person and it is not just a story.
"He did die only a year ago and I'm not going to sit there with my kids and my mum and drag him through the mud. I think people forget it's not a sob story. I'd rather have my dad here than be on X Factor any day."
As for what she is planning now, Niki confessed she was unsure. "I tried to do this so many times and failed so many times," she said. "I haven't got a clue. I'd love to go on and make an album. I'm too old now. I'm not stupid - people will drop me like a hot cake. Whatever comes I will grab it and run with it as far as I can."
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