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FINAL FLOURISH

What time is The X Factor final on tonight and who are the 2018 finalists?

THE X Factor 2018 final is here at last and after months of searching and auditions - from the brilliant to the terrible - the judges have their final three.

But who will walk away as the champion and earn that priceless record contract with Simon Cowell - Dalton Harris, Scarlett Lee or Anthony Russell?

Robbie William, Ayda Field, Louis Tomlinson and Simon Cowell together at The X Factor 2018 launch
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(L-R) Robbie William, Ayda Field, Louis Tomlinson and Simon Cowell together at The X Factor 2018 launchCredit: Rex Features

What time is The X Factor 2018 final on ITV?

The X Factor comes to an end TONIGHT (Sunday, December 2).

The first half of the final got underway on Saturday at 7.30pm on ITV, with Dermot O'Leary guiding fans through the two-hour show.

All three acts performed solo before joining forces with their celebrity duets - Dalton with Emile Sande, Anthony with Tom Walker and Scarlett with Robbie Williams himself!

For the second half of the final, the action begins again at 7.30pm with the acts given one last chance to impress the judges and watching fans.

The winner will be announced shortly before 9pm on Sunday night.

Along with performances from the three finalists there will also be appearances by Take That, Ellie Goulding and Nile Rodgers

Sunday's final airs at the same time as Strictly Come Dancing: The Results on BBC One, Britain's Biggest Warship on BBC Two and The Incredibles on Channel 4.

Simon Cowell
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Simon Cowell has been a judge on The X Factor since the series began in 2004Credit: Getty Images - Getty

Which acts are in the X Factor final?

The following acts made it through to the grand final, after a dramatic semi-final which saw Acacia and Aaliyah booted off the competition.

Dalton Harris

Dalton Harris
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Dalton Harris previously won a singing competition in JamaicaCredit: Rex Features

Dalton is a 24-year-old from Jamaica who has enjoyed a taste of fame before.

The performer comes from a huge family and had 22 siblings.

At the age of 16, back in 2010, he won the Jamaican equivalent of X Factor named Digicel Rising Stars.

Afterward, the single he released, Single Pauper, made it to Number One in the Jamaican dancehall charts.

He released three albums before ending up on The X Factor.

His journey on the show began with him performing Elton John's Sorry Seems To Be The Hardest Word and admitting preparing to audition for the show for seven years.

Scarlett Lee

Scarlett Lee
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Scarlett had previously made headlines with her fake tan and makeup choicesCredit: Rex Features

The 21-year-old from Surrey worked as a make-up artist prior to X Factor.

She had previously made it through the first round of X Factor auditions back in 2017 but made headlines with her style choices.

Scarlett viewers were overwhelmed by her fake tan, bright orange eyeshadow and deep purple lip liner.

The singer was eliminated during the Six Chair Challenge but sailed through the elimination rounds with her brand new look this year.

Now, Scarlett has made it all the way to the final and might just win the whole thing.

Anthony Russell

Anthony Russell
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Anthony Russell has been mentored by Louis TomlinsonCredit: Rex Features

Anthony, 29, is a singer from Liverpool who tried his hand at The X Factor a decade ago but failed to make it through auditions.

The Liverpool native later auditioned again in 2017 and got three yeses.


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However, he had to quit the show due to "personal reasons".

For the past 12 months, he has been mentored by new judge Louis Tomlinson.

Simon commented on this saying: “I knew that Louis had reached out to help him with his demons a long time ago.

“I think it says a lot about the kind of person Louis is; he doesn’t brag about it, he doesn’t talk about it, it’s a very personal thing for him."

This year he finally made it all the way to the finals after making it through the Six Chairs Challenge and singing Scars by James Bay at the Judges' Houses.

Who are The X Factor 2018 judges?

The X Factor 2018 judges are Simon CowellLouis Tomlinson, Robbie Williams and his wife Ayda Field.

Louis joked that his former One Direction bandmates could appear with him at the Judges' Houses - and he was true to his word as Liam Payne joined him.

The shake-up to the panel came after Nicole Scherzinger was axed from the show and Louis Walsh left.

Cheryl was previously tipped to be the favourite to join the judging panel but signed up for the show The Greatest Dancer instead. 

Robbie Williams opens the X Factor final in style performing a medley of hits with the contestants at Wembley Arena
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