The VERY mixed fortunes of X Factor's winners: The victors who weren't so lucky and the drugs, brawls and chart flops that sent them back to obscurity
- Louisa Johnson is currently in the US after her recent chart success
- 2013 winner Sam Bailey has had less success, performing at bingo halls
- Matt Cardle was admitted to rehab after his stint on the popular show
- Last week, James Arthur was admitted to hospital after being glassed
- Latest series of the reality television show aired on Saturday night
It was back with a bang on Saturday night, with veteran judges Sharon Osbourne and Nicole Scherzinger making a welcome return to the panel.
And the X Factor certainly didn't disappoint with hopefuls Ryan Lawrie and Emily Middlemiss proving to be first episode highlights.
As the new series begins - with unknowns preparing to sing their hearts out in the hope of fame and fortune - we look back at the reality juggernaut's previous winners to see if their time in the limelight became permanent or if they've fallen back into obscurity.
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California dreaming: Louisa Johnson scored as the youngest winner of X Factor last year and so far it seems the 18-year-old is having the time of her life (pictured last month in Manchester)
Louisa Johnson scored big as the youngest ever winner of X Factor last year - and so far it seems the 18-year-old is having the time of her life.
This spring she enjoyed chart success after collaborating with electro band Clean Bandit on the song Tears, and has been enjoying a string of summer holidays with her boyfriend in the Bahamas and Los Angeles this month.
Whilst the youngster's career is looking up, not everyone who won the X Factor fared as well.
FEMAIL examines the fortunes of the show's other champions...
Victorious: Louisa was crowned the winner of The X Factor 2015 at London’s Wembley Arena
Champion: Louisa struggled to control her emotions as her mentor Rita Ora praised her work on the TV talent show after she was announced as the 2015 X Factor winner
2004: STEVE BROOKSTEIN
Steve Brookstein, 47, from London, enjoyed the distinction of winning the first ever series of the singing contest with a respectable six million votes - but things took a bit of a nose-dive not long after.
His winner's single - a cover of Phil Collins' Against All Odds - was beaten to the Christmas number one slot by the Band Aid 20 revamp of hit Eighties anthem, Do They Know It's Christmas.
Things looked like they could be on the up as Steve's debut album, Heart And Soul, went in to the charts at number one, but that was his last taste of music success.
After becoming embroiled in a feud with mentor Simon Cowell, he was dropped by SonyBMG just eight months into his contract.
Steve Brookstein, pictured in London last year, was the first ever winner of the X Factor but he was dropped from Simon Cowell's label just eight months after his big victory
Steve Brookstein is congratulated by host Kate Thornton and Simon Cowell after winning the first series of The X Factor in 2004, but he and mentor Simon didn't stay on good terms for long
In a cliched fall from grace, by 2007 Steve was performing on the Portsmouth to Bilbao P&O cruise ferry and in Costa Coffee branches.
In 2014 he signed a new music deal, releasing his third album, titled Forgotten Man, in March 2014 but it failed to chart.
After putting his experiences in a book called Getting Over The X, he is still recording and touring, but to intimate audiences in clubs rather than the arenas he once dreamed of.
He is also no stranger to a Twitter storm, and is regularly admonished by his 20,000 followers for his controversial views on his fellow ex-contestants and judges.
2005: SHAYNE WARD
Seemingly putting his music career on hold, Shayne returned to TV screens last summer after signing a contract with ITV soap opera Coronation Street
Shayne Ward was given a million pound recording contract with Simon Cowell's Syco label when he won the show in 2005
On the cobbles: Shayne Ward's career has changed tack but he's still on primetime television as Aidan Connor in Corrie
Heartthrob Shayne Ward, 31, bagged The X Factor's first Christmas number one with the original song, That's My Goal, in 2005.
Selling 313,000 copies on its very first day, the single became the fourth-fastest selling track of all time in the UK - behind Will Young's Evergreen, Gareth Gates's Unchained Melody and Elton John's Candle In The Wind.
Thanks to his success, the Tameside-born singer was given a million-pound contract with Syco, who released his self-titled debut album in 2006.
After reaching the top of the charts, it album was certified four times platinum in Ireland and platinum in the UK.
Shayne's follow-up album, Breathless, also sold well and reached number two, but he was dropped by the record label following poor sales of his third album in 2010.
In 2011, he turned his hand to acting - starring in the 1980s-themed musical Rock Of Ages in London's West End - and in 2013 showed off his skating skill on reality show Dancing On Ice.
Seemingly putting his music career on hold, Shayne returned to TV screens after signing up with soap opera Coronation Street, where he stars as Aidan Connor.
He and his partner Hollyoaks actress Sophie Austin are currently expecting their first child together.
2006: LEONA LEWIS
Leona Lewis, pictured at last year's Cannes Film Festival, has enjoyed plenty of chart success since her days on the X Factor
US stardom: Leona Lewis is currently on Broadway in Cats wowing American audiences with the vocals that proved such a hit with Simon Cowell
Brit School alumnus Leona Lewis, 31, from London, was the show's first winner to become a global star.
After blowing the competition off the stage in the 2006 series, she released a cover of Kelly Clarkson's A Moment Like This, which made it to Christmas number one and sold more copies than the rest of the singles in the top 40 combined.
Her first post-X Factor single, Bleeding Love, stayed at number one for seven weeks straight and topped the charts as far afield as New Zealand, Australia and Canada.
Leona Lewis won The X Factor in 2006, after impressing judges and viewers with her powerful voice
Leona's brand of pop-friendly R&B scored her three Grammy Award nominations and saw her sell millions of records in Britain and the US.
However, success has come at a price. She decided to part ways with Syco in June 2014, signing a new deal with Universal's Island Records.
Speaking at the time she said: 'It has been quite the rollercoaster year. The emotions I've felt have been more powerful, in both a positive and negative way, than any time I've ever felt in my life.
'At some points I felt extremely depressed and other times experienced amazing highs, but it got to a place where the downs were outweighing the ups.'
After completing two world tours, starring in Eighties-inspired musical Walking On Sunshine and visiting the Cannes Film Festival, Leona released her fifth album last year.
She has taken over from judge Nicole Scherzinger as Grizabella in the Broadway revival of Cats after Nicole shunned the musical to return to Simon Cowell's panel.
2007: LEON JACKSON
Pint-sized Scottish pop star Leon Jackson, 26, from West Lothian, won over the nation with his trendy asymmetric haircut and sharp suits back in 2007.
An unexpected winner, his champion's single - an arrangement of Mariah Carey and Whitney Houston's duet When You Believe - bagged the Christmas number one spot that year.
Reports claim it sold 40 copies a minute in Woolworths at its peak.
But this was the peak of Leon's musical career.
Pint-sized champion Leon Jackson sobs on the shoulder of X Factor presenter Dermot O'Leary after being crowned the X Factor 2007 winner
Check out those biceps! Leon Jackson revealed a super-toned physique at the end of last year
His follow-up track, Don't Call This Love, peaked at number three and debut album Right Now only made it to number four. He was dropped by Syco in 2009.
A much more rugged-looking Leon now lives in Los Angeles where he continues to write and record music.
He describes his songs in his bio as 'original, acoustic and full of honest soul'.
The one-time star has been working on his physique though, revealing a very buff body last summer and regularly documenting his life in the US.
2008: ALEXANDRA BURKE
Alexandra Burke, pictured out and about in London last year, is currently starring in a UK tour of Sister Act
Despite embarrassingly weeping her way through a performance with her idol Beyonce, Alexandra Burke, 26, from London, was tipped to be the next Leona Lewis.
After beating body-popping boy band JLS to the winner's title with her cover of Leonard Cohen's Hallelujah, she scored a Christmas number one plus several BRIT and MTV award nominations.
In addition to her UK success she was a hit across the pond - bagging a £3.5 million, five album US deal with Epic records.
Her debut album Overcome - the first single from which featured rapper Flo Rida - was released in October 2009 and made it to number one.
Alexandra Burke wept as she performed with her idol Beyonce on The X Factor 2008 series
Treading the boards: Alexandra Burke has become a West End star, currently appearing in Sister Act
Alexandra became the face of Dolce & Gabbana in the UK, Nintendo DS, deodorant brand Sure Women and a cocktail company.
But her pop career has since been on the wane and last year she parted ways with her management.
She wrote in a heartfelt statement at the time: 'To not beat around the bush, the last couple of years have been really challenging, professionally & personally.
'There have been some targets and dreams that I wished I could have accomplished but due to various factors, (some beyond my control and some that I need to learn from), they have not been achieved.'
Last year she released a new EP, Renegade, and took part in a national tour in which she replaced Beverley Knight as the lead in The Bodyguard.
Following on from her theatre debut, Alexandra is currently starring in a UK tour of Sister Act, playing disco diva Deloris Van Cartier.
2009: JOE MCELDERRY
Joe, pictured above in 2013, has a knack of winning reality shows, bagging the top prize on Popstar to Opera in 2011 and skiing contest The Jump in 2014
His Geordie accent, easy wit and boy band good looks endeared Joe McElderry, 25, from South Shields, to everyone from pre-teen girls to grannies.
Yet, after winning the 2009 series, Joe McElderry was caught up in one of the X Factor's biggest controversies.
His winner's single, a cover of Miley Cyrus's The Climb, was the first to be beaten to the Christmas top spot for four years.
It was pipped to the post by Rage Against The Machine's Killing In The Name, following a social media campaign in protest against the programme's grip on the Christmas number one tradition.
Joe McElderry shares his elation on bagging The X Factor winner's title with mentor Cheryl Fernandez-Versini in 2009
In 2010 Joe announced that he was gay and was cited as a role model by gay charity Stonewall.
His debut album, Wide Awake, peaked at a respectable number three but dropped out of the top 40 within three weeks.
In total, the album had sold just over 100,000 copies by December 2010. Joe's contract with Syco expired in 2011 and wasn't renewed.
He has spoken of his unhappiness about his time with the label but said the split was 'amicable'.
However, he went on to sign with Decca, with his album Classic reaching No.2 in the UK album charts in 2011, selling over 250,000 copies.
Despite his failure to reach music super-stardom, Joe does have a knack of winning reality shows - he bagged the top prize on Popstar to Opera in 2011 and won skiing contest The Jump in 2014.
And he's discovered a real talent for musical theatre and recently announced he will take the lead role in a 2017 tour of Joseph and his Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat.
2010: MATT CARDLE
Matt, pictured in London in 2014, was admitted to The Priory in late December 2013 to be treated for addiction to prescription drugs and alcohol
Former painter and decorator Matt Cardle, 33, triumphed in the 2010 series after winning over the voters of Britain with his down-to-earth demeanour and collection of flat caps.
The Essex heartthrob's winner's single - a cover of Biffy Clyro ballad Many of Horror (retitled When We Collide) regained Syco's grip on the festive top spot, where it stayed for three weeks.
It sold an impressive 170,000 copies in its first two days on sale.
Matt's debut album, Letters, received a warm reception and stayed on the chart for 16 weeks, peaking at number two.
Host Dermot O'Leary congratulations 2010 winner Matt Cardle and his mentor Dannii Minogue
Unfortunately, the former handy-man's follow-up singles fared less well, and he parted ways with Syco and Columbia records in 2012.
Since then he's released a couple of albums and continues to tour, but he has not seen the same success as the act that came third in 2010 - One Direction.
Matt has also had to deal with personal struggles. He was admitted to The Priory on Boxing Day 2013 to be treated for addiction to prescription drugs and alcohol.
He said at the time, 'I was so out of it - I was like a zombie.'
Matt is now back on the road and is currently on tour in the UK.
2011: LITTLE MIX
Little Mix, pictured last year in London, have gone on to enjoy chart success on both sides of the Atlantic
Perrie Edwards, Jesy Nelson, Leigh-Anne Pinnock and Jade Thirlwall entered the singing contest as solo artists.
Judge Tulisa Contostavlos decided to put them together as a band after bootcamp and they went on to be the first group ever to win The X Factor.
The foursome's winner's single, a cover of Damien Rice's Cannonball, charted at number one the week before Christmas, but was knocked off by the Military Wives.
Their debut album was released in November 2012 and in January 2013 they signed with Columbia Records.
Girl group Little Mix were the first band to win The X Factor back in 2011
Little Mix, big success: The X Factor winners' album Get Wired recently went platinum
The girls have had success on both sides of the Atlantic, earning the highest debut US album chart position by a British group - an accolade previously held by the Spice Girls.
They have fronted big campaigns for the likes of sweet brand M&Ms, launched a clothing brand with Primark and have their own make-up range with Collection.
But the singers' personal lives have also been of interest to their fans, with Perrie Edwards thrust into the limelight over her engagement to, and subsequent split from, former 1D singer Zayn Malik.
Celebrating five years together this month, the girl group's latest album, Get Wired, went double platinum last week.
2012: JAMES ARTHUR
James, above in 2015, became involved in a number of scandals, most notably about the use of homophobic lyrics in a song
Scruffy, soft-toned singer James Arthur, 28, from Middlesbrough, won series nine of the hit talent show in 2012.
His cover of Shontelle's 2010 song Impossible became the fastest-selling X Factor winner's single ever.
Things started off really well for northern lad James as his self-titled debut album went in at number two and sold more than 1.25 million copies in the UK.
James Arthur won series nine of The X factor and hit the top of the charts with his winner's single Impossible
An incident in a bar in Redcar left James needing hospital treatment
But the outspoken singer became involved in a number of scandals, most notably about the use of homophobic lyrics in a song, which led to high profile Twitter spats with celebrities including Frankie Boyle and Matt Lucas.
He began bad-mouthing musical peers and iTunes offered refunds on his album due to public outcry.
He had a 'mutual parting' with Syco in June 2014.
Last week, it was reported that James had been 'glassed' following an incident in a pub in Redcar.
He later tweeted fans that he was okay, saying: 'I’m fine thank you. No worries, we move on #BackFromTheEdge.'
2013: SAM BAILEY
Sam, pictured last year, tweeted to say she had split from Syco just 14 months after winning
Sam Bailey beat rivals Nicholas McDonald and Luke Friend to victory on the 2013 series and her winner's single, a cover of Demi Lovato's Skyscraper was the first since 2010 to take the Christmas number one spot, selling 149,000 copies.
Since then she's supported Beyonce at a live show in Birmingham and had the first X Factor number one album since Alexandra Burke's 2009 debut.
A 15-date UK tour followed and Sam released a tell-all autobiography.
Sam Bailey can't hide her shock as her mentor Sharon Osbourne celebrates her winning in 2013
However, she took to her Twitter account last year year to say she had split from Syco just 14 months after winning.
From there she appeared to swap stadium arenas for small, local gigs.
In fact, the mother-of-three was spotted performing a four-track set at the Mecca bingo hall in Hartlepool in May 2015.
The low-key gig got fans asking if her 15 minutes of fame are over. A Syco source told MailOnline: 'Everyone wishes Sam all the best for the future. After discussion, it was just felt it was the right time to follow different paths.'
Last week, it was revealed that Sam had been forced to fund her own album. The former prison officer told The Sun: 'I haven’t got a record label. I kind of set it all up myself. I funded it all myself. It’s something I wanted to do.'
2014: BEN HAENOW
Ben Haenow, pictured at the 2015 National Television Awards, is believed to be busy working on his debut album
After beating Fleur East to the X Factor top spot last year, former van driver Ben Haenow, from Croydon, released his debut album to a lukewarm reception.
The album, entitled 'Ben Haenow' charted at just 10 in the charts, while his duet with Kelly Clarkson Second Hand Heart reached just number 21.
He was subsequently dropped by Syco in January.
Former van driver Ben Haenow won 2014's series of The X Factor, beating Fleur East
A source told The Sun: 'Simon made the decision with a heavy heart. He was a big supporter of Ben but it’s simply down to business - Fleur East, who came second, has done much better.'
The insider continued: 'And at the end of the day our winners, especially the blokes, never have the same success as the likes of One Direction and Olly Murs.'
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