Who is Joe McElderry, when did the X Factor singer come out as gay and what is he doing now?
The singer has enjoyed a long career since his launch to fame in 2009
JOE McElderry is known for winning The X Factor and appearing in the West End.
Here's everything you need to know about the singer...
Who is Joe McElderry?
Joe McElderry, 27, was born and raised in South Shields, Tyne and Wear.
Joe is an only child, and was raised by his mother after his parents divorced.
The star had always wanted to be on the stage, and had focused his educational efforts in that area, getting a BTEC in Performing Arts.
Did Joe McElderry have a stalker?
In 2012 Joe became a victim of stalking after being tracked and followed to his home by an obsessed fan.
The stalker bombarded Joe with tweets, sat on the front row at one of Joe's shows and harassed his mum Eileen.
Joe told The Sun: “We called the police but while Mum gave a statement in the house we saw him outside, stood on the corner in the dark.
"It was creepy, it freaked me out. It isn’t pleasant knowing someone is doing that to you and your family.”
Ennis McBride, 59, was found guilty of harassment and given a five-year restraining order.
When did Joe McElderry come out as gay?
In 2010, he was forced to reveal himself as gay after hackers got into his Twitter account and outed him.
On his official website, he said: 'I have always been a very honest person and so it is important for me to continue to be honest.
'It has been the most amazing year so far and I feel so privileged. It’s also been a time of real self realisation and I feel as if I have grown up so much in these few months.
He later told The Sun: "I think the Twitter thing was the point when I realised I was gay."
He added, "I'm feeling good about it, it's liberating. Now I can just get on with my life."
When did Joe McElderry win the X Factor and what did he do next?
Joe was 16 when he first auditioned for X Factor in 2007, but lost out at bootcamp.
When he returned in 2009 for the sixth series, he won the entire competition, beating out runner-ups Olly Murs and Stacey Solomon to the claim the recording contract prize.
Cheryl acted as his mentor and the Geordie pair became close throughout the process.
His single, a cover of Miley Cyrus hit The Climb, failed to make No.1 after a succesful campaign to get Rage Against the Machine's Killing In The Name Of to the top spot.
After two years with Simon Cowell's label SyCo, he was dropped, and was instead picked up by Decca Records.
He's released five Top 20 albums - Wide Awake (2010), Classic (2011), Classic Christmas (2011), Here's What I Believe (2012), Saturday Night At The Movies (2017).
In 2016 and 2017 Joe also appeared in a touring production of Andrew Lloyd Webber's musical, Joseph and his Amazing Technicolour Dreamcoat.
MORE ON JOE MCELDERRY
What other TV shows has Joe starred in apart from X Factor?
In 2011, Joe tried his hand at opera singing in the second series of Popstar to Opera Star.
He won the competition with an impressive 77% of the vote - beating Cheryl Baker in the final.
In 2014, he also won The Jump, a show in which celebrities try their hand at ski-jumping and slalom racing.
He became the emergency replacement after Henry Conway was injured.