Tamera Foster missed out on her chance to enter the semi-final when she was voted off Sunday night's The X Factor in a tough battle between her and fellow remaining act Luke Friend.The 16-year-old gave a breathtaking and flawless performance of The Voice Within by Christina Aguilera after previously forgetting her lyrics three times so far on the talent competition.Tamera, who was introduced by Nicole Scherzinger as her "beautiful shining star" was followed by Luke, who performed a rendition of Snow Patrol's tear-jerker Run.
Tamera singing The Voice Within by Christina Aguilera
Nicole was the first judge to cast her vote, sticking with "her girl", while Louis Walsh and Sharon Osbourne opted to send her home in favour of saving Luke.
When it was Gary's turn to cast his vote and decide the fate of the two contestants, the former Take That star couldn't choose between them. He said: "This is very fifty-fifty for me. Tamera you came back stronger. In the future you will be one of the biggest stars. "He then took the decision to deadlock, leaving the final choice to the public vote which resulted in sending Tamera home from the ITV talent show.
Upon hearing the news Tamera said: "Thank you so much, I have had the most amazing time. I couldn't have asked for anything more."
Just the next morning she showed fans that, while the X Factor journey as ended, this is just the beginning. "So my X factor journey is done, now the real work starts ? On my way to ITV Studios !" she tweeted.Her mentor Nicole referred to fellow judge's earlier comment: "Gary said it. Five years into the future she will be the most successful star to come out of this show. "Runner-up from 2010, Rebecca Ferguson, returned to the X Factor stage to perform her latest single I Hope, while last year's winner James Arthur sang his new track, Recovery.
Luke performing a rendition of Snow Patrol's tear-jerker Run
The Impossible singer, whose scheduled appearance on the show had sparked controversy and even a Facebook petition to ban him, followed his performance with an apology. "I've made a few very silly mistakes but I want to thank all the people who have stuck with me and supported me," he said. "Above all, I want to say sorry for abusing my position as an X Factor winner because I owe everything to this thing, so thank you very much. "Next week's semi-final will see boyband Rough Copy, Sam Bailey and 17-year-old Nicholas McDonald battle it out to stay in the show for the big final.
