Lola Saunders loses to Stereo Kicks in X Factor sing-off

In a double eviction weekend, Jack Walton went first, on Saturday night, quickly followed by Lola Saunders.

Lola's exit from the competition wasn’t a popular decision with the studio audience, as presenter Dermot O’Leary pointed out, but that was no consolation to her.

Fighting back tears, Lola, 20, said, “I tried the best I could".

At the end of the night, the judges' vote was deadlocked.

Cheryl and Louis Walsh each voted for their own act.

Mel B preferred Stereo Kicks' performance of Pink's F****** Perfect - even though it wasn't.

Simon Cowell thought Lola sang the best in the sing-off, with her performance of Carole King’s (You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman.

“If I’m really judging this, which I have to, I have to ask: who sang the best tonight? And it’s very easy, it was Lola,” Simon said.

But the tied judges' decision meant it would be the act with the least public votes who would leave - and that was Lola.

That also means that Cheryl now has only one act left in the contest, 17-year-old Lauren Platt.

The X Factor continues with the nine remaining contestants on ITV on Saturday, November 8, 8.00pm.