Former Strictly Come Dancing pro Brendan Cole swaps dancing for singing as he teams up with actor Jeremy Edwards for The X Factor's brand-new spin-off...
In a brand-new take on the ITV singing show, The X Factor: Celebrity sees famous faces from the world of TV, film, music, sport and social media singing their hearts out in a bid to be crowned champion and bag a life-changing record deal.
Dermot O’Leary is back as host and judging the stars’ vocal talents will be Nicole Scherzinger, Louis Walsh and, of course, Simon Cowell.
As the auditions kick off at Simon’s home in Malibu, Los Angeles, the celebrities hoping to impress include ex-EastEnders actor Jonny Labey, US talk show host Ricki Lake, journalist Martin Bashir, TOWIE star Megan McKenna and duo Cole & Edwards – aka former Strictly pro Brendan Cole and ex-Hollyoaks actor Jeremy Edwards.
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"I love to sing, I love to be on stage and I love to perform, so it’s a natural thing for me to want to do it," says Brendan, who was a Strictly favourite for 15 series. "I'd been in that show for such a long time. Now, the opportunity to be part of a big, big show, a chance to be out of my comfort zone, it was a no brainer!"
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During his time on Strictly, Brendan was never afraid to answer the judges back if he felt their verdict on his performance was unfair. So how might he react to one of Simon’s famously barbed put-downs?
"I can’t promise I’ll bite my tongue," admits Brendan. "But you’ve got to know your place in the chain, and my place in this chain is not, 'I know what’s best'. When judges critique my dancing and I think differently, that doesn’t go down too well with me. But I’m not a professional singer, so if the judges have got critique, then I’ll have to suck it up, even if I disagree with it!"
The X Factor: Celebrity stars on Saturday October 12 at 8.35pm.
