Louis Walsh claims The X Factor final is a 'three-horse race'

The X Factor judge Louis Walsh has insisted this weekend's final is a 'three-horse race' despite bookmakers making Fleur East the hot favourite.

The singer, from east London, impressed the judges last week with her performance of Mark Ronson's Uptown Funk and she is 4-11 favourite to win the talent show.

Bookmaker William Hill has put her ahead of the other two finalists, with Ben Haenow at 11-4 and Andrea Faustini at 12-1.

The firm's spokesman, Rupert Adams, said: "She has the momentum and looks like the only pop star of the three and we cannot see anything other than her victory."

But Louis said: "It's not a foregone conclusion; it's a three-horse race, it's wide open and anybody can win.

"It's down to the song and the performance and it's all to play for. Sometimes the public vote for who they like. Sometimes it's a popularity contest as well as a talent contest."

Louis, who said he was sorry not to have any of his acts in the final, predicted that a couple of them - Stereo Kicks and Only The Young - could still have a career in music.

But the Irishman was tight-lipped about his own future on The X Factor, saying: "I don't know. It depends who else was back. If Simon was back, it's always fun."

TOPICS

CATEGORIES

Patrick McLennan is a London-based journalist and documentary maker who has worked as a writer, sub-editor, digital editor and TV producer in the UK and New Zealand. His CV includes spells as a news producer at the BBC and TVNZ, as well as web editor for Time Inc UK. He has produced TV news and entertainment features on personalities as diverse as Nick Cave, Tom Hardy, Clive James, Jodie Marsh and Kevin Bacon and he co-produced and directed The Ponds, which has screened in UK cinemas, BBC Four and is currently available on Netflix.

An entertainment writer with a diverse taste in TV and film, he lists Seinfeld, The Sopranos, The Chase, The Thick of It and Detectorists among his favourite shows, but steers well clear of most sci-fi.