Amelia Lily has admitted she feels “bad” about Katie Waissel having “such a traumatic time” on The X Factor as her own experience was great.
The 28-year-old singer revealed she’s “so grateful” for finishing third in the 2011 talent show series and finds it “totally bizarre” to hear contrasting experiences.
While attending the ICON Awards in support of the prostate cancer charity on Friday night, she exclusively told Web how she “owes her life” to the ITV program and how it helped her buy her home.
Last September, BBC Sounds announced a podcast series hosted by Amelia called The Talent Factory: Inside The Music Machine.
On the show, singer You Bring Me Joy explored the impact of talent shows on both the music industry and the emerging artists who take part.
“I owe my life to this show!” Amelia Lily has admitted she feels “bad” about Katie Waissel having “such a traumatic time” on The X Factor as her own experience was great
She said: “I think what was really interesting for me was that I’ve obviously just done a BBC Sounds podcast about all of this and for me it was really interesting to hear other people’s stories, some obviously better than other.
“Some had quite a traumatic experience on the show. For me, I had a great time on the show and I owe my life to the show. I bought my house because of The X Factor.
“I feel like I’m so young and just so grateful to be there. But obviously when I was hosting the podcast, it was interesting to hear other people’s stories, and the dynamic was just totally… just bizarre.
“We had a few different guests there. There was Joe McElderry who had a very pleasant experience, Danyl Johnson, Niki Evans and Kate Waissel. We had a few people on the podcast and it was really interesting.”
The X Factor ran from 2004 to 2018 with a multitude of judges overseeing wannabes as they competed for a coveted record deal.
Although the competition had launched a host of successful careers including those of One Direction, Little Mix and Olly Murs, some former contestants including Rebecca Ferguson, Cher Lloyd, Jedward and Katie have challenged the treatment they received on the show .
During the singing competition, Katie from the 2010 series said she had received acid attacks and death threats, and suffered from panic attacks and suicidal thoughts.
The former contestant also said that following her time on the show, she has since sought therapy for post-traumatic stress disorder.
Her side: The 28-year-old singer revealed she was “so grateful” to finish third in the 2011 talent show series and finds it “totally bizarre” to hear contrasting experiences (Katie Waissel pictured) .
After her legal retraining, Katie said she is suing Simon Cowell’s Syco Entertainment, the production company behind the talent show, for breach of duty of care.
When asked about her discussion with Katie on the podcast, Amelia said: “It was definitely interesting and obviously her time on the show wasn’t great for her, which makes me sad because if you listen to the likes, me and Joe are talking about the podcast , we had a really, really positive, positive time.
“Unfortunately, everyone’s experiences will vary and I’ll just have to stick to my own.”
Katie also started the OWHL Foundation to help others who have been going through a situation similar to hers. On its website, the foundation says it aims to “monitor well-being, human rights and freedom in the creative industries.”
Looking back on the deals she signed while on the X Factor, she recently told The Times: “There’s so many of us that were so trapped and it’s not fair, there was a huge power imbalance.”
This motivated her to want to understand how the contracts worked so she could help other people “not to be manipulated in the future,” she said.
Grateful: She exclusively told Web how she owes her life to the ITV program and how it helped her buy her house (pictured in 2011)
Katie’s allegation is directed against Syco Entertainment, whose subsidiary Simco produced the show alongside Fremantle.
With millions of viewers tuning in every Saturday night, the singing competition was quickly given to other inventions around the world, replicating huge viewership in the US, Spain and Australia.
Other contestants have also spoken out about their time on the show.
Cher Lloyd also rose to fame on the 2010 series at the age of just 16 and has said she feels “vulnerable”.
“Sometimes I got really angry,” she said in 2021. “I was angry because I went to a rehearsal, left the studio and was chased by myself, chased by a group of 20 to 25 guys with cameras.
“I just felt really vulnerable. There would of course be an attendant for everyone as a group, we were underage.
Matt Cardle, who won the show in 2010, has also addressed his time on the X Factor after entering rehab for alcohol and drug addiction.
The singer said in 2021 that he believes sometimes reality show contestants’ “dreams and hopes” get muddled to make great TV.
Matt said: “There’s really a duty of care because these shows use people. It’s as simple as that, you know. Like everyone else on this show it was used the same way I even posted the show.
He continued, “It’s difficult for them to navigate because they’re just trying to make a good TV. But along the way, people’s hopes and dreams get muddled.’
The Times reported that the show’s co-production company, Fremantle, had robust measures in place to “ensure participants were supported, including a dedicated welfare team of psychologists, physicians, welfare producers and independent legal and management consultants with no time limit on post-survival follow-up.” Show aired.’
At the time, Web asked Syco Entertainment for a comment.
Brave: After legal retraining, Katie said she is suing Simon Cowell’s Syco Entertainment, the production company behind the talent show, for breach of duty of care