fake factor
I was on the X Factor and bosses forced me to fake cry – I regret it 100% but now I’ve got a completely different job
A FORMER X Factor star has hit out at the show and claimed bosses "manipulated" her into pretending to cry.
Many former X Factor contestants have shared negative experiences in recent years, including Rebecca Ferguson and Cher Lloyd.
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Now Laura Conway, who competed in the second series in a group with sisters Sharon, Sinead and Marie, has opened up about her time on the show.
She said: "You don’t expect the manipulation. Nobody who queues up for those shows knows that or expects that."
Speaking to BBC Sounds podcast, , Laura continued: "The producers made me put water on my eyes and smudge my mascara.
"They were asking me to hug one of the girls and film through the door and make it look like I was crying. But that was a total setup. I wasn't crying at the time."
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But while Laura insists she "100%" regrets taking part in the show it did lead to some exciting career opportunities.
She said: "I sang on some really big video games as well; League of Legends. I sang, the main theme on that.
"I thought that was going to be my biggest audience. That was 50 million daily active players. But then during the pandemic, I did the soundtrack for Honor of Kings, which has a hundred million daily active players."
The Conway Sisters were mentored by Simon Cowell on the show and made it to sixth place in 2005. The series was eventually won by Shayne Ward.
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Last year Rebecca, 37, hit out at the show in sensational allegations which she claimed were breaking "multiple NDAs".
Nothing's Real But Love hitmaker Rebecca shared a series of emails she says were sent by her to ITV in 2021.
In the emails she claimed contestants on The X Factor were "forced into contracts without independent legal advice", "mentally manipulated and abused" and "reduced to tears due to bullying".
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