Matt finish: X Factor winner Matt Cardle says he can finally afford to buy Dannii Minogue a thank you gift after she helps him land £1million record c

By JODY THOMPSON

Morning after: Matt Cardle chatted to Christine Bleakley and Adrian Chiles on Daybreak this morning, despite only having a 'couple' of hours sleep after winning the X Factor last night


Former painter and decorator Matt Cardle says he's finally hoping to buy a thank-you present for his mentor Dannii Minogue after he landed a £1million record contract as winner of X Factor.

Talking to Adrian Chiles and Christine Bleakley on today's Daybreak, he said until now, he'd not had the time or the money to get the judge a gift to say thanks for backing him from the start.

He said she'd 'absolutely' been the best mentor and added: 'She's off home soon, so I need to find the girl a present.'


Early bird: Christine gave Matt a quick grilling before their interview proper while he was in make-up


He continued: 'I just haven't had the time or the money to do it. Though yes, I hope I'll have a bit of money now! But I must.'

Matt had previously revealed that Dannii often bought him little gifts on the X Factor set, so he felt even more indebted to her.

Appearing on Lorraine after Daybreak as his day on the publicity treadmill got underway, Matt dedicated his win to Dannii.


He gushed; 'I was so happy to do it for her and justify the faith she had in me right from the start. I was so happy for her. She's been so good with all the boys, better than anyone.'


On the sofa: Matt - minus his hat - chats to Christine and Adrian on Daybreak


Posting on her Twitter page after last night's results, Dannii appeared to be over the moon with her and Matt's victory.

She said: 'Thank you to everyone who voted for Matt - you have made our year :-)'
Matt also Tweeted 'thankyouthankyouthankyouthankyou' to Dannii this morning.

But he added an apology for accidentally bashing her in the face with his mic when he was mobbed by fellow finalists and judges after he won.

He said: 'Just watched the video, sorry for punching you in the face! x'
To mark the end of Matt's Daybreak interview meanwhile, Christine and Adrian gave Matt a present - of a bottle of champagne and a new hat.

He also confessed that he'd been hugely superstitious over his weeks in the show.
As a result, he said he'd ended up with a manbag filled with rubbish.

Talking to Lorraine Kelly, he explained: 'I'm so superstitious and I put any kind of rubbish that I get, old sweet wrappers, cigarette wrappers, anything like that, in my bag.

'If I get through a round, then I don't take it out, so my bag is literally bursting with rubbish.'



Festive cheer: Matt talked about winning the best Christmas present ever - winning the X Factor


The 27-year-old also revealed that he would like to be in a band - despite winning the X Factor as a soloist.

He told Lorraine: 'I would love to front a band, the camaraderie you have in a band, especially if you go on the road, you want to share those experiences.

'When you come off stage you're buzzing, (it would be great to have) someone there to buzz with you and bounce around with. But this is all stuff to think about. I'm still in the bubble.'

Minutes after his chat on the Daybreak sofa - and after just a few hours sleep, as he confessed he'd been partying until past midnight - he tweeted: 'Really nice to see the guys on daybreak this morning! Still can't believe it :) x'

He'd earlier spoken of his 'shock' after being crowned the X Factor winner - and said he thought it might take a year to sink in.


Winner: Matt Cardle has been crowned the X Factor 2010 champion last night in a closely fought contest which saw Rebecca Ferguson come in second place followed by One Direction


He said he still felt 'numb' about his victory over fellow finalist Rebecca Ferguson in the closely fought contest, watched by an estimated 20million viewers.

It was also estimated that the ad breaks alone in the show were set to land ITV a massive £25million.

Voting figures released last night after the show's grand finale showed that Matt had won with 45 per cent of the public vote on last night's show, compared to Rebecca's 39 per cent and One Direction's 13 per cent, with Cher trailing with just four per cent.

The figures also showed that Matt had been a the top of the voting charts every single week of the live finals, bar week one, where Mary Byrne was in pole position.


In tears: The painter-decorator was overwhelmed after receiving the news, seen right with mentor Dannii Minogue holding his single, a cover of Scottish band Biffy Clyro’s Many Of Horror (When We Collide)


Record deal sorted: Posing here alongside Dannii and X Factor supremo Simon Cowell


However, only show host Dermot O'Leary had correctly predicted Matt to win the show, with Simon Cowell saying Gamu Nhengu would land it - despite the fact she didn't even make the live finals.

On ITV2's spin-off show Xtra Factor during auditions, while Dannii was on maternity leave and Cheryl Cole ill with malaria, guest judge Nicole Scherzinger also tipped Gamu to come out on top.

Louis Walsh meanwhile plumped for Aiden Grimshaw.

Talking to Adrian and Christine on Daybreak however, Matt said he'd never expected to win and thought Rebecca would waltz off with the winner's spoils, saying: 'I thought Rebecca was going to get it, to be honest, once One D went.'

Matt continued: 'It was so shocking that it made me numb straight away and I have not really got the feeling back yet. I am still in a bit of a spin about the whole thing.'

He added: 'I said to someone earlier "it will probably sink in next Christmas when I watch somebody else win and I say oh, I did that last year". It is just crazy.'


Moment of truth: A nervous Matt and Rebecca are supported by their mentors as they await the result



Gracious in defeat: Rebecca said she was delighted for Matt and was just 'so grateful' to have come as far as she did in the contest


Cardle, from Colchester, Essex, also paid tribute to Ferguson and to One Direction, who came third.

'She (Ferguson) is literally one of the sweetest girls you could ever ask to meet in your life,' he said.

'She is amazing. One Direction, I feel for them, they worked so hard, so hard for the entire show, they both deserve everything.'

Asked if he thought he was going to get the Christmas Number One with his winner's song When We Collide, a cover of Scottish indie rockers Top 20 hit of earlier this year, Many Of Horror, he said: 'I really hope so, I really, really hope so.'


Passionate: Matt performs his winner's single for the second time of the night after being crowned winner


Last night Cardle appeared overwhelmed as his name was called out by host Dermot O'Leary.

He was joined on stage by his fellow X Factor contenders, although one person not present was sulky Cher Lloyd who was eliminated in part 1 of the final on Saturday night.

It comes amid reports the 17-year-old threw a huge strop during rehearsals this week, screaming at production staff and claiming that judges Dannii and Louis hated her from the start.

During the ITV2 spin-off show the Xtra Factor last night, Simon commented: 'Everyone [the contestants] was happy for Matt, apart from one.'

His mentor Dannii Minogue said: ‘He totally deserves it. Rebecca was incredible competition tonight. He didn’t really believe he had it.’

His mother Jenny could barely contain her tears after congratulating her son, saying: ‘I am just so proud of him. I have always believed in him, I just didn’t realise it was going to work out so well. I think he’s brilliant. I am glad other people do as well.’


Overwhelmed: Matt looked taken aback, breaking down and losing his voice during parts of his second rendition of the track as he took in the enormity of his win


Crowd support: Former X Factor finalist Stacey Solomon actually made it on screen last night as she reported live from Matt's hometown of Colchester in Essex having failed to get in shot on Saturday night's show


Accepting her defeat graciously, Rebecca said: 'I'm so happy, so grateful and Matt's amazing. I'm just so happy to have got this far.

Her mentor Cheryl also looked close to tears and it comes as the first time in her three years on the show that she has not won, having previously guided Joe McElderry and Alexandra Burke to victory.

One Direction's mentor Simon Cowell said: 'I'm absolutely gutted for them.' But hinting a recording contract could still be on the cards, he added: 'All I can say is that this is just the beginning for these boys.'

One Direction member Zain Malik added: 'We're definitely going to stay together. This is not the end.'

Such is Matt's popularity – and the popularity of this year’s show, which has regularly pulled in audiences in excess of 17million – that he is expected to make £5million in the next year.


Winner: Matt is hoping to bag the Christmas No.1


He is likely to earn £2million from record sales, a further £1million from recording sales, and around £2million from modelling and commercial deals.

He went on to quit school at 16 and attend a £500-a-week summer drama college, where he formed a band called Darwyn. He was the main songwriter in the group, which lasted for two years.

From there he joined alternative rock band Seven Summers, and released an album shortly before he auditioned for The X Factor.

Since the live shows began two months ago, fans have been won over by his good looks and impressive voice, but his honesty has also won him admirers in a year when the show has been dogged by rumours that results have been fixed or leaked.

Cardle famously criticised Simon Cowell for keeping Katie Waissel in the show because she was good for ratings, and hit out at former rival Wagner Carrihlo for his lack of talent.



Absolutely gutted: One Direction were the first of last night's X Factor finalists to get the boot with Cowell saying he was 'gutted for them' but adding 'this is not the end'


We're through: Matt and Rebecca react with shock as they are told they are in the final two


But he found himself at the centre of a fresh phone controversy last night after some callers who had been trying to vote for Miss Ferguson claimed to have received automated messages thanking them for voting for him.

A spokesman said no complaints had been made and no problems had been reported to them.

There were also concerns the voting was being leaked early after a poll on Twitter put Cardle in first place, ahead of Miss Ferguson, with One Direction third.

Last night’s grand finale also saw Take That make a return to the show to perform their hit Never Forget with the three finalists.

Cardle delivered a rendition of Katy Perry’s Fireworks – which Simon Cowell hailed as one of his best performances yet and which helped cement him as the nation's favourite.


Nice trousers: Matt's first song of the night was Katy Perry's Firework, which he received high praise from the judges for, although Simon was not a fan of his bright yellow trousers



Simon Cowell DID favour Cher Lloyd over Mary Byrne by changing X Factor format

By Sara Nathan

The X Factor voting patterns indicate viewers were right to be raise concerns that producers were shaping the show’s results by altering the format.

Voting figures released late last night show that Mary Byrne did place higher than Cher Lloyd in the semi-finals
Traditionally the outcome of the semi-finals is decided solely by public vote but this year the show brought in a sing-off at the last minute.

Had producers stuck with the traditional format then Miss Byrne would have had a place in this weekend’s final.

Thousands accused the show of being fixed because viewers had no idea about the change in format and had believed they were solely in charge of who went through to the final.

Many felt the show had been adapted to ensure that Miss Lloyd, who both Simon Cowell and Cheryl Cole have tipped for stardom, was in the final.

Even Miss Byrne has said she felt that the final was ‘a young person’s show’.


Kicked out: Mary Byrne, seen here arriving for the X Factor final rehearsals, would have been in the final four rather than Cher if the format hadn't been changed


The semi-final voting pattern shows that Matt Cardle was the clear winner with more than 35 per cent of the vote, followed by Rebecca Ferguson with 26 per cent, and One Direction with 17 per cent.

But Miss Byrne, 51, secured 15 per cent of the vote compared to around 11.6 per cent for Miss Lloyd.

The figures also suggest the controversial contestant Katie Waissel was regularly the bottom placed contestant – despite judges repeatedly saving her.

Fans will be concerned to learn that in the week when Cheryl Cole caused fury by refusing to choose between her two acts – Miss Waissel and TreyC Cohen – the former was actually bottom placed.

Many fans questioned why Miss Cole refused to vote – and suggested that in that situation it would be fairer to have gone with the public vote rather than allowing a majority decision from the other three judges.

That week Miss Cohen, 20, received 3.53 per cent of the vote, while Miss Waissel, polled 3.22 per cent.

A record 15.4 million votes were cast over the course of the series.

This year’s winner Matt Cardle won the vote almost every week, apart from in the first week when Miss Byrne did.

Runner-up Rebecca Ferguson was regularly in second place.The X Factor and ITV have always insisted that no one on the judging panel is aware of details about how the voting is taking shape.

The show's executive producer is understood to be the only person to see the full break down of results each week.


Explosive: The performance was punctuated with a colourful lights show and explosions


Hoping for Christmas No.1: Matt at the start of the X Factor grand final performing his first song of the evening


Matt Cardle performs When We Collide - The X Factor Live Final - itv.com/xfactor






source: dailymail