BEHIND THE SCENES WITH DERMOT
The host with the most spills all the X Factor: Celebrity secrets
We have to admit, when we heard about The X Factor: Celebrity, we thought Simon Cowell had officially lost the plot. And Dermot O’leary seems to agree with us. “We have no idea whether this is going to work or not,” he says, chatting to heat having just finished filming the first two episodes of the show in LA.
The presenter admits he was shocked by Simon’s decision to switch things up and have celebrities compete. “It’s a brave thing to do. There’s absolutely no guarantee from Simon’s point of view as a label boss that he’s going to find a star at the end of it. There’s a kind of excitement and fearlessness about that.”
We’re just one show in and we’re already loving having Louis Walsh and Nicole Scherzinger back on our screens. And with shocking (both good and bad) performances from the first round of auditions, we’re chomping at the bit for the next episode. We haven’t even seen Ricki Lake yet, people!
Here, Dermot tells us what went on behind the scenes when 14 celebs descended on LA to face the music. ■
PALS REUNITED
“It feels good [having the gang back together]. Nicole brings the crazy and the pipes and the glamour and the know-how. And with Louis, you’ve got all that wonderful insanity, but also his music knowledge. Louis knows more songs than the rest of us put together.”
(UN)FAMILIAR FACES
“Olivia’s got a killer voice and there’s a real grace to her. She’s very composed. But she has that thing, when people say, ‘Where do I know you from?’ and she says, ‘Well…’ and you can see her eyes roll. ‘I’m that girl from Love Actually.’ Everyone’s like, ‘Oh yeah!’”
FRIENDLY VIBES
“Martin Bashir is just wonder personified. You just want to give him a cuddle as soon as he walks in the room. [In general] there is a lovely warm feel that I witnessed, there’s not a competitive element. The only people they’re in competition with are themselves. It definitely feels like a warm vibe, which is nice.”
MORAL SUPPORT
“You can’t underestimate how emotionally draining it is when people audition, so the first thing they want to see when they come off is a friendly face. You’d have to be cold of heart not to give someone a hug when they get off the stage. That said, you’ve got to be honest.”
GO RICKI! GO RICKI!
“Having Ricki Lake was a big deal for me – she’s a legend of TV hosting. I’m up on this balcony and every time I looked down… First, I saw Ricki opening Champagne, then she was kneeling on the bar, and by the end, she was standing on the bar. Not being drunk, just holding court. That’s the Ricki Lake I want to see.”
SHOW SURPRISES
“The Love Islanders can sing. The lovely thing [is that] they’re not note perfect. There are some bum notes and I think that’s a good thing. You need to see that progression and you hope that [if] they get to studio, [those things] will have been ironed out.”