X Factor winner exposes strange ‘lie’ spun about him on ITV series

Matt Cardle has revealed a ‘story was spun’ about his background during his The X Factor stint.

The performer, 41, rose to fame after winning the seventh season of the ITV reality talent show in 2010, going on to sign a £1 million recording contract with Simon Cowell’s Syco Music.

His debut single When We Collide debuted at number one on the UK singles chart and became the second biggest-selling single of 2010.

When auditioning for the show, Matt spoke about working as a painter/ decorator, however that wasn’t the case at all.

At the time Matt, who plays the guitar, drums and piano, was already a gigging musician before he signed up.

‘That’s just the story they like to spin, isn’t it? They wouldn’t say that I was a musician and a singer/songwriter. They had to say what else did you do? And I said, “Well I’m painting my dad’s shed”,’ he recalled.

‘And they said, “oh a painter/decorator”. I wasn’t. And it wasn’t my last chance at all. It was because they liked the jeopardy and they liked to get you on the edge of your seat, which is what that was all about,’ he added when speaking to the Echo.

But reflecting on the life-changing experience of the series, Matt said he ‘looked back on it all fondly’.

‘Even if I didn’t, it’s given me such an amazing break,’ he added.

Over the years Matt has also spoken openly about his battle with alcohol and drug addiction issues after checking into rehab in 2013.

Explaining how things were ‘dark’ before making the decision, he said he ‘went and got the help I needed’.

‘It’s been up and down. Life is, by its definitions, full of ups and downs. You can’t plan for the next event that might push you into a place where you feel like you need help from things, but I’m alright at the moment,’ he shared.

Matt also added he was willing to be candid about his struggles to potentially assist others, saying that ‘if someone sees something or reads something I’ve said that helps them in any way shape or form then it was worth doing’.

Matt won the hit talent show the same year that One Direction came third.

At his audition he told host Dermot O’Leary the following when asked what he did for a living: ‘I’ve been working as a painter for a couple of years now – it’s boring and monotonous and I hate it to be honest. I keep myself going by singing.

‘This opportunity would mean the end of magnolia all over my face and hands, the end of brushes, the end of hotel rooms and the break I need.’

Earlier this year he also revealed he’d ‘made a conscious decision to knock drinking in the head’ and had gone sober.

He is also set to release his first album since 2018 next year.