Where The X Factor’s 2013 stars are now – from Sam Callaghan to Luke Friend & Nicholas McDonald
THE X Factor's heyday saw it pump out singing heart-throbs by the dozen but in 2013 the competition was all about three lads.
Louis Walsh oversaw the rise and rise of Luke Friend, Sam Callaghan and Nicholas McDonald - but where are they now?
In the end, fierce competition for the £1million prize - well, recording contract - saw every one of them knocked out in favour of a singing prison officer.
And while we know what Sam Bailey is up to - living her best life hanging out in her amazing home pub of course - not as much is known about the boys she toppled.
Here we take a look at where that once fresh-faced trio are and what they look like these days...
Sam Callaghan
Essex singer Sam was among the X Factor hunks having a tilt at the title back in 2017 - and is still singing today.
Now 28, the former barman is also a personal trainer and - get this - a racing car driver on the GT4 Supercup series.
He also still has a legion of fans as proven by the fact he's able to knock out calendars of himself topless year after year.
However, he didn't quite make it to the final on X Factor with a performance of Iris by the Goo Goo Dolls seeing him skittled out of the contest.
He now has three daughters and is starring in Panto in Lowestoft in Jack and the Bean Stalk.
Nicholas McDonald
Scottish star Nicholas, 26, came so close to clinching the title but in the end had to settle for the runner-up honours.
However, he did bag a record deal with RCA and his debut album In The Arms of an Angel peaked at No6 in the charts.
After that he began performing on cruise ships - a move that led him to fall in love with a glamorous American passenger called Brandi Sommers.
He proposed to her at Donald Trump's Turnberry Resort in Scotland in 2019 and they married a week later - with Luke and Sam among the guests.
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Luke Friend
Likeable Luke made it to third place on The X Factor but he's no longer such a clean-cut popster.
Now 26, he's chopped back his hair, grown a moustache, got a nose ring and is part of alt-rock band Yellowbelly.
The group last year released a seven-track album called Watchtower and Luke has previously had record deals with RCA and BMG.
He has starred in musicals too this year including Lift and Footloose, and has a movie on the way.
It might now be a full nine years since they missed out on victory in Simon Cowell's musical juggernaut, but it seems the class of 2013 are doing just fine.
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