X Factor finalist unrecognisable - eight years after emotional audition

14 October 2023 , 10:15

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X Factor finalist unrecognisable - eight years after emotional audition

Some eight years after wowing audiences with her singing voice as one of the finalists in ITV's X Factor, Monica Michael has totally transformed as she makes wave on TikTok.

The 33-year-old former youth worker had two shots at pop fame on the ITV reality show, becoming a household name during the 2015 but she didn't quite make it to the grand final and has since become a social media star with over 20,000 followers just weeks after joining TIkTok.

In 2013, Monica was mentored by singer Cheryl and reached the six chair challenge before being cruelly eliminated but she came back stronger two years later to go all the way to the finals before coming up just short of winning the competition.

Monica Michael during the audition stage for the ITV talent show, The X Factor, in 2015 (PA)

X Factor star Monica Michael unrecognisable (Instagram/monicamichaeluk)

Now fans of the singer have shared their shock at her epic transformation with her brunette hair from the TV show being ditched for a bleached blonde dreadlocked style. Monica embraced a look bordering on Gothic during the live shows in 2015, with wavy brown hair, thick black eye make-up and a vamp style to her dressing.

Following her elimination in the third week of live shows, Monica decided to take a break from the limelight and has since reinvented her style for an impressive comeback on socials. She has been branded "stunning" and "unreal" by fans on her TikTok page as Monica shows that she hasn't lost any of her sassiness over the years.

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Monica Michael has been praised for her stunning transformation (TikTok/monicamichael_uk)

Monica Michael during her run to the X Factor finals in 2015 (Getty Images)

As well as transforming her hairstyle, Monica has also admitted that she had a gastric band fitted during an interview on ITV's This Morning. The singer said that she had had a long battle with her weight and the surgery gave her an opportunity to put that to bed and look forward to a life in which her weight was not a constant issue.

Speaking on the show, Monica said: “I was always battling with my weight, it’s always been a problem from primary school. It was a demon. In 2015 I was on tour with Blue and I could feel how unfit I was onstage, and how unhealthy. I remember going off stage and going into my dressing room crying.”

She continued, saying: "I took some drastic action and got a gastric band. I was thinking that I knew I had a problem and I couldn't control it... I thought to myself 'Do I wait until I get type 2 diabetes?'"

Monica added: "I went and got it done privately and for me it was the best thing I've ever done."

James Brinsford