X Factor Austin repays his debt to parents

The X Factor singer Austin Drage is finally making his parents proud now that he has found his calling as a professional singer. Austin, who is mentored by music mogul Simon Cowell, has started taking the competition very seriously as a way to repay his parents for standing by him during his troubled teens. A source from the show revealed: "For Austin being in the competition means he's finally making his mum and dad proud, after years of causing them grief whilst he was at school. "He has really grown up in the house, and is spending less time messing around with Scott and Eoghan and more time concentrating on his performance," the source added. Austin, who wowed the judges last week with his rock version of Michael Jackson's Billie Jean, is working long hours trying to perfect his elaborate dance routine for Saturday's live Big Band performance. But even exhausting rehearsal's can't tire out the super-fit Essex boy, according to a show insider: "Austin is still the night owl of the house, though, going to bed much later than anyone else." There have also been reports that Laura White is so terrified of performing her sexy routine this week that she has invented an alter-ego, 'Marilyn', and will stay in character throughout the performance. A source said: "Brian has got Laura doing a sexy dance routine this week, which she's had difficulty getting her head around as she's not used to being 'sexy'." Watch the live show this Saturday at 7:30pm on ITV1.

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