Rebecca Ferguson - VEntertainmentOnline.com

Rebecca Ferguson Biography

Rebecca Ferguson was the dark horse of this year's X-Factor. She started off as the shyest, most nervous contestant never making eye contact with the audience and ended up receiving praise from superstar Christina Aguilera and a standing ovation from the judges.

Simon Cowell told her she had the most amazing recording voice and Louis Walsh said she was the nicest contestant they had ever had on the series.

On the fifth live show Cowell and Cheryl Cole stood to applaud her after she sang "Make You Feel My Love" and the following week Cole and Dannii Minogue gave her a standing ovation after she sang "Candle in the Wind".

Ferguson was so shy initially she refused to sing for her boyfriend until two years after they met and even then she made him face the wall whilst she sang.

25-years-old bricklayer Karl Dures said "Viewers have not yet seen her full potential, she is going to be the biggest star".

The couple met on holiday in Tenerife in 2003 and right from the start she told him she was going to be a singer. They had two children together, daughter Lillie May when she was 17-years-old and a son Karl, born a year later.

The couple drifted apart in 2009 but have remained good friends and he supported her all the way on X-Factor. She missed her children so much that every two weeks after they moved into the X-Factor house the producers would give heran all-expenses paid trip back to Liverpool so she could see them.

Ferguson has never had singing lessons but has a natural talent. She first auditioned for X-Factor in 2004 but failed to get through the first round.

She wanted to carve out a good career to support her children and she qualified as a legal secretary after studying at Hugh Baird College in Bootle. She was set to succeed in a career as a human rights lawyer when she attended the X-Factor auditions.

Her first song was Sam Cooke's "A Change is Gonna Come" but for several weeks, including in the live shows, she had no confidence in her voice and it was her mentor Cheryl Cole who eventually brought her out of herself.

Ferguson said she learnt a lot from Cole and admired her down-to-earth qualities. She got on well with her fellow contestants but, she did make a formal complaint to Cowell and Cole after Cher's tantrums backstage just got too much.

She had tried to befriend the youngster and even had a word with her herself but, she couldn't get through and in the end decided the best way to deal with the antics was to leave the room.

Christina Aguilera missed her friend Nicole Richie's wedding to sing with Ferguson on the final and said she had seen a tape of her and been "blown away".

Even winner Matt Cardle thought Rebecca Ferguson had won after "One Direction" was voted out. Cowell has not commented about whether he will sign her to his label.