‘There’s a sex ban in the house!’ X Factor’s Ryan Lawrie says he’s not allowed to sneak into girlfriend Emily Middlemas’ room
Nicole Scherzinger's boys Ryan, Matt and Freddy let rip on life behind the scenes
Ryan Lawrie, 20
How was it, coming into the live finals as a Wildcard?
At Judges’ Houses I felt a little bit separate – just to be thrown back in was intimidating. However, I have a really good bond with all The Boys and now, at live shows, I really feel like I’m a part of it all. I don’t feel like a Wildcard. It goes to the public vote now, so we are all in the same boat.
What made you and fellow finalist Emily Middlemas decide to go public with your relationship?
It just got to the stage where we were like: “We’re not going to be able to keep this quiet any longer,” so we thought: ‘Why not simply let people know?’ We didn’t meet through The X Factor, though – I have known Emily for about four years and we have been going out now for roughly nine months. We met doing gigs together after she was on The X Factor for the first time in 2014, and we only live 20 minutes apart.
Do you think she is The One?
Yeah… You have made me go red now! We are pretty serious, yes. I would like to think she is the girl I am going to marry and have children with one day.
Are you nervous about how your relationship might fare under the stress of The X Factor?
No, not really. I think it’s a really good thing that we both have each other, and I think I would be a wee bit lost if I didn’t have her there, as there are so many big personalities in the house where we all live. Whatever happens, we are still going to be together.
Do you get to share a room in The X Factor house?
No, we don’t sadly. All the guys are together, and all the girls are together. We can chill and watch a film, but when it comes to bedtime, it’s bedtime and that’s it. You can’t sneak into each other’s room. There’s actually a sex ban in the house, but we wouldn’t do that anyway. It’s just professionalism, isn’t it?
How will you feel if Emily beats you?
I would be happy. It’s a big deal for me to have got this far and, whatever happens, I am the last boy from Scotland to be in this competition. Hopefully, if I don’t win The X Factor, Emily will win it. We are rooting for each other and we are a team.
There’s been some controversy because you’ve previously performed at the Capital Radio Summertime Ball and released a charity single…
Yeah, I won a competition to perform at Wembley Stadium at the Ball and I did release a song through my own label – but I have never been signed. I’m not breaking any rules and it’s not a fix. It’s a public vote and they will decide who wins.
You have great hair. What’s your secret?
Thanks! It doesn’t take long. I just come out of the shower, put a bit of sea salt spray in it, scrunch it up and then let it dry. I used to put those bendy rollers in my hair to make it more curly, though. That’s the secret.
Matt Terry, 23
So Matt, do you get sick of all these comparisons to One Direction’s Louis Tomlinson?
I just find it funny. I don’t mind it, it’s cool! When you were on Lorraine Kelly’s show, she said you were “much cuter” than Louis.
Do you fancy Lorraine?
I love Lorraine. I have always liked her – I watch her in the mornings and she is a lovely lady.
Would I ever go out with an older woman?
Never say never! I guess it’s about who you fall in love with. I have never dated an older woman, all my girlfriends have been around my age. I do have a crush on Kris Jenner, though, and she’s a cougar. In fact, I have a crush on all the Kardashians. They are gorgeous. I’ve always preferred curves on girls.
In your first audition, you said you were heartbroken because your girlfriend Jasmine had just dumped you – but rumour has it you’re back together…
No, we are not back together. I have no idea where that came from. We are on good terms and have the same friendship group – we see each other every now and then. She has been super-supportive, so it has turned out okay. I think the reason we didn’t work out is that we were in each other’s pockets too much. She’s a dancer and we both have dreams we want to fulfil, but we held each other back.
Being single, have you had lots of attention from female fans?
I’ve had private messages on Instagram from girls sending me pictures of themselves in their underwear! I’m like: ‘Okay, I don’t know how old you are so I am just going to turn this off!’ They could be 15 or something. Also I think dating a fan would be crossing a line.
Has Adele seen you covering any of her songs on YouTube?
I have no idea. That would be incredible if she ever got to listen to them; it would be a dream come true. She was on the show last year, but if she was my duet partner at the end, I doubt I would be able to sing with her – I wouldn’t even be able to breathe, let alone sing!
What’s the biggest struggle you’ve had to overcome in your life?
I have had a lot of knockbacks in my career. I went to musical-theatre college and auditioned for a lot of West End shows. I would get to the final auditions and then not get the role. My feedback has always been: “You’re too young and you look young too.” I guess I just need
to grow up a bit and get rid of this baby face.
Freddy Parker, 18
You look great in our shoot, but where has your man bun gone, Freddy?!
I know! I am sad. I tried to fight to keep it, but the hair and make-up team were right – it had to go. I was hoping the ‘Freddy man bun’ would take off and even have its own Twitter account, but quite a lot of people haven’t liked it. On The Xtra Factor, [I’m A Celebrity’s] Vicky Pattison said: “I can’t get past the man bun.”
What would you be doing now if you weren’t on The X Factor?
I was due to start university right about now – I was going to study psychology at Bath, but had to pull out when I got into the final 12. I had my mind set on uni because I never thought The X Factor would work out but, having got this far, it’s made me realise this is what I want to do. My friends keep me grounded, though, and tease me that this won’t last and I’ll be back at university before I know it.
You admitted recently that you had a nine-month driving ban earlier this year for drink-driving. Where you nervous about that story coming out?
I was really nervous about what the reaction would be and I was scared about it coming out – but I am glad that it did as everything’s out in the open now. I want people to know I made a mistake but I am learning from it, and I don’t want people making the same mistake because it could have ruined my life. I can drive again from January next year, but I am sure I will be getting taxis from now on.
Are you single?
I am – at the moment I’m just focusing on the competition, though I do have a crush on [US pop star] Ariana Grande. She’s well fit. I’d say I’ve had a pretty boring love life so far, but I am hoping to have a few big heartbreaks in my future so that I can write some good songs about it. I remember Sam Smith saying that the best thing about heartbreak is that you can make an amazing album out of it.
What’s your biggest insecurity?
I don’t feel confident in my looks at all, I think I am so ugly. Growing up, I’ve always been insecure about my appearance and the way that I speak. I used to just not speak to people because I was so self-conscious – however, I’ve had to come out of my shell to succeed in this industry. I used to get the worst stage fright ever too. When I was eight, I played King Herod in my school Nativity and I wet myself on stage! Before I auditioned for anything I would throw up too.
So how have you conquered it?
I still have it a bit – the Six Chair Challenge was the worst experience of my life and the nerves were paralysing. But I have learnt to control it more. I find that if you act confident, you feel confident. I cannot let my nerves get the better of me in this competition – I won’t let it ruin such an amazing opportunity.
The X Factor is on Saturday and Sunday on ITV at 8pm