SPEAKING OUT
X Factor legend reveals major career change and insists the show ‘ruined’ her life
X FACTOR star Katie Waissel revealed she has trained in law so she can sue Simon Cowell's firm Syco Entertainment.
Katie, 36, who was branded the "most hated contestant" when she appeared on the show in 2010, has sought therapy for post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) after suffering panic attacks and suicidal thoughts.
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Over a decade later, the mum-of-one, who has retrained as a lawyer, is taking legal action against Simon's record company Syco Entertainment for breach of duty of care.
"I am pursuing a civil case of personal injury under negligence, which pertains to duty of care," she told the .
Katie continued: "The show ruined my life."
"There are so many of us who have been so trapped and it’s not fair, there was a huge imbalance in power.
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"I just wanted to be able to understand [the contracts] and to protect people from being manipulated in the future."
Katie studied on the postgraduate law course at BPP University in London after winning a scholarship.
The star - who finished seventh place on the ITV competition, which was eventually won by Matt Cardle - completed the course remotely while her four-year-old son Hudson was at nursery.
The singer is now qualified to work as a paralegal or start vocational training to become a solicitor or barrister.
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Katie claims that she was contractually "given £1 in exchange for appearing on the live shows", while Simco, of which Syco was the parent company, made a profit of £22.9 million in her year.
She said she was not allowed to leave the contestants' house without permission during filming and struggled to eat or sleep.
"It felt like they owned all of me," she went on.
"I’ve had therapy or counselling from the second I left [the show]."
However, the statute of limitations on personal injury is three years so Katie and her lawyers – who have sent a letter of claim to Syco Entertainment – will need to persuade a judge to waive it.
In her personal statement, she wrote: "I believe I can leverage my past experiences for the greater good and respectfully continue my efforts in building a safer industry as a whole, not only for those new entering it, but to provide a sense of justice and peace to all."
The Sun has contacted Simon Cowell's representatives and Syco Entertainment for comment.
In 2021, Katie revealed she'd been rushed to hospital after suffering a suspected heart attack.
On top of her physical ill health, Katie told The Sun that she’s been suffering "severe PTSD" and rarely leaves the house.
She star also claimed she was sexually assaulted by an X Factor worker at a luxury hotel and said the terrifying ordeal happened when she met the man to talk about recording work.
Katie commended fellow X Factor alumni Louisa Johnson, who previously confessed she felt “suicidal” after winning the show in 2015.
The legal professional said she wants to use to help safeguard the entertainment industry for young talent.
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She told us: “By learning law, I’m making sure future generations are protected in every way, shape and form in the creative industry space, as well as a feeling of being heard.
“All steps up until now have led me into this very space, so I sometimes feel like if that's what had to have happened in order to save others and help others and protect others, then so be it."
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