Matt Terry has been crowned the winner of The X Factor 2016. The 23-year-old waiter, mentored by Nicole Scherzinger, beat Finnish singer Saara Aalto to take the title at Wembley Arena on Sunday night during a live show which featured performances from 2011 winners Little Mix and Madness.
Host Dermot O'Leary revealed that there had been 6.4million votes cast before delivering the result. Clearly stunned, Matt dropped to the floor upon hearing that he had become the show’s eighth solo male winner, before warmly embracing mentor Nicole in his arms. He then took to the stage one last time to perform his winner's song, When Christmas Comes Around, which was written by Ed Sheeran.
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Matt Terry has won The X Factor 2016
After singing the track, Matt was joined on stage by the rest of this year's X Factor contestants, who rushed to hug him and offer their congratulations. That moment itself caused something of a stir on Twitter, with some eagle-eyed viewers convinced they saw the newly-crowned winner share a kiss with Freddie Parker during the group celebrations.
The show's creator Simon Cowell promised tearful Terry: "We will give you 100 per cent", before addressing both finalists. "I want to say to both of you, you came into this final as good artists and you've ended as great artists," he said. "The thing I'm most proud about, about this show, is seeing Little Mix and some of these other artists tonight, what they've done with their lives and this is why we make the show. You are now part of that chapter."
The 23-year-old was mentored by Nicole Scherzinger
One Direction singer Louis Tomlinson, who bravely performed his new single on Saturday night’s show, just days after his mother's death, congratulated Terry, tweeting: "Congratulations MattTerry93! Well deserved. XFactorFinal." Coronation Street actor Shayne Ward, who won The X Factor in 2005, also shared a message of congratulations.
Terry himself took to Twitter a short time after his win to thank his fans for their support. "I can't believe it!!! Thank you to every single one of you that voted for me ❤️ #xfactorfinal."
The shocked star later took to Twitter to thank fans for their support
He then proudly shared the artwork for his new single, alongside the caption: "Still COMPLETELY in shock! I'm so grateful! So happy to say my new single #WhenChristmasComesAround is out now!!!"