James Arthur has won The X Factor 2012, beating competition from Jahmene Douglas in a closely-fought final on Sunday night. The 23-year old, from Middlesborough, triumphed after a two-hour show which also featured performances from Emeli Sande, One Direction and Rihanna. And he looked barely able to believe the result as it was announced. "Thank you, thank you so much," he said, before asking: "Have I really won? Wow, I don't know what to say. Thank you so much to everyone who voted for me, I'm so thankful." James's debut single, a cover of the Shontelle track Impossible, has already been released in aid of the charity Together For Short Lives. Meanwhile runner-up Jahmene Douglas remained graceful in defeat, eloquently paying tribute to James as he said: "It's such a blessing to even share a stage with such a talent, he's my idol." James's victory came following Saturday night's final and Sunday night's results show, in front of an audience of 10,000 at Manchester Central. Saturday night's show saw him perform the Nina Simone classic Feelin' Good as well as duet with Nicole Scherzinger on the Bob Dylan/Adele hit Make You Feel My Love. He performed Impossible for the first time in front of a crowd on Sunday night as well as reprising his rendition of Marvin Gaye's Let's Get It On from earlier in the series. Tulisa couldn't hide her enthusiasm for the performance, saying: "We feel like we are at a James Arthur concert," while mentor Nicole Scherzinger added: "I felt like I was seeing the future - like next year when you are on tour." Gary also had some advice for James, telling him, "Never let anybody tell you what to do, you know best." Sunday's show also featured appearances from One Direction, Emeli Sande and Rihanna.
