X Factor: Celebrity line-up unveiled in full
A Love Island supergroup and US chat show host Ricki Lake are among the contestants. …
Image copyright Reuters It’s the X Factor – but not as you know it. A celebrity version of the long-running ITV talent show is hitting screens next month.
The show will see 15 star acts compete to impress judges Simon Cowell, Louis Walsh and Nicole Scherzinger.
Celebrities taking the plunge include BBC religion editor Martin Bashir, The Chase star Jenny Ryan – aka The Vixen – and US chat show host Ricki Lake.
A group of Love Islanders will compete in the groups category.
The series is replacing the traditional X Factor series, which has aired annually since 2004. X Factor: Celebrity, which will be hosted by Dermot O’Leary, is set to follow on from Britain’s Got Talent: The Champions, which is currently airing on ITV.
This isn’t the first time a celebrity version has been launched. In 2006, The X Factor: Battle of the Stars featured contestants including Chris Moyles, Paul Daniels and Debbie McGee.
Here’s the lowdown on the 2019 line-up, which is split into three categories – the over 28s, the under 28s, and the groups.
Groups
The Islanders
This is a real treat for Love Island fans. Four stars from various series of the ITV2 dating show are swapping villa life for vocal coaching.
They are, from left to right in the above picture, Wes Nelson, Zara McDermott, Eyal Booker and Samira Mighty. They will collectively make up a supergroup called The Islanders.
Cole and Edwards
Brendan Cole will be well known to fans of TV talent shows as a former professional on Strictly Come Dancing.
Now he’s teaming up with actor Jeremy Edwards, who has appeared in Holby City and Hollyoaks, to form the imaginatively titled duo Cole and Edwards.
Max and Harvey
Social media stars (and identical twins) Harvey and Max Mills shot to fame in 2015 on the social app Musical.
They have built up more than six million followers online and also have their own CBBC show called Max and Harvey: FOMO.
V5
Influencers and bloggers Sofia, Alondra, Laura, Wendii and Natalie make up girl group V5.
The Latin American social media stars will be hoping to make as much of an impact as Little Mix – the 2011 winners of X Factor who have become one of the show’s most successful exports.
Try Star
Rugby players Thom Evans (left), Levi Davis (centre) and Ben Foden have joined forces to form Try Star.
Davis has been in a band called Majesti before, so he may well be able to give his fellow sports stars some singing tips.
Overs (aged 28 and above)
Jenny Ryan – aka The Vixen
Ryan was a master TV quizzer on the likes of Mastermind, University Challenge and The Weakest Link before she joined ITV hit quiz show The Chase.
She was initially hired to write questions for the programme, hosted by Bradley Walsh, but became one of the chasers in 2015 after she was recommended to producers by long-standing Chase star, Anne Hegarty (The Governess).
Victoria Ekanoye
The actress is best known for playing Angie Appleton in Coronation Street between August 2017 and January this year.
Her character left Weatherfield to return to South Africa with her son George and Ekanoye will next be seen in the new CBBC adaptation of The Worst Witch books.
Martin Bashir
Martin Bashir has been a journalist for more than 30 years but he became a household name in 1995 when he interviewed Diana, Princess of Wales for BBC’s Panorama. In 2003, he also interviewed Michael Jackson for an ITV documentary.
He later moved to the US where he co-anchored the current affairs show Nightline on ABC before moving to MSNBC, where he was a political commentator until 2013. He is currently the BBC ‘s religion editor.
Ricki Lake
Ricki found fame as a talk show host on her self-titled US show in the 90s and 00s but she’s also co-hosted other shows including The View.
As an actor, she’s probably best known for her lead role as Tracey Turnblad in the 1988 film Hairspray. She recently competed on the US version of singing show The Masked Singer.
Unders (aged 27 or younger)
Olivia Olson
Olson is a film star – although not necessarily one that you’ll recognise as an adult.
She was just 11 years old when she starred as Joanna in Love Actually, melting hearts with her rendition of All I Want for Christmas Is You.
She has since also become known for voicing Vanessa in the Disney TV series Phineas and Ferb.
Megan McKenna
Reality star McKenna made her name on the MTV series Ex On The Beach
She later joined the cast of The Only Way Is Essex in 2016.
Hayley Hasselhoff
Hasselhoff is an actress and singer, best known for her role in ABC Family’s Huge.
She is also the daughter of Baywatch star David Hasselhoff.
Jonny Labey
Soap star Labey is an actor who is best known for playing Paul Coker on EastEnders for a year from 2015.
Kevin McHale
Glee fans will recognise McHale from his role as Artie Abrams on the hit musical show, which he appeared in from 2009 to 2015.
X Factor: Celebrity begins on ITV in October.
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