X Factor’s greatest YES!
Favourite Sam stuns judges as he proposes to his girlfriend
IT’S the television show where contestants are desperate for Simon Cowell to say ‘Yes’.
But for X Factor favourite Sam Black, it was his girlfriend, Emma Smith, who uttered the word that put a smile on his face after he astonished the judging panel by proposing to her following a performance.
Plasterer Sam, 27, from the Isle of Man, left judges Nicole Scherzinger and Sharon Osbourne on the verge of tears as Emma, 24, said ‘Yes’.
She t old The Mail on Sunday: ‘ It was one big shock, it was the last thing I was expecting. I was completely overwhelmed.
‘ He was nervous before t he performance and I thought how he had to be nervous for this too. It was very brave of him.’
Emma, t he mother of Sam’s 11-month-old son Mason, added: ‘I was crying happy tears and really surprised. We have been together nearly five years now and he did say afterwards that he had wanted to propose for a while.’
Tonight, viewers will see Sam perform Del Shannon’s Runaway at the bootcamp stage of the ITV show. After his song, he asks Cowell: ‘Is there something I can do before I go from the stage, because I’m never going to get this chance?’
Shop manager Emma then joins him on stage and he gets down on one knee to ask: ‘Do you reckon I would get a yes off you?’
She said later: ‘Of course I said yes, it was such a special moment, one I won’t ever forget. I had no idea he had a ring on him when we were on our way to bootcamp.’
The couple, who met through mutual friends, are yet to set a date for the wedding but Emma is already looking for dresses.
‘My Mum is on my case to sort it out,’ she said. ‘We’re thinking about going abroad and doing it, somewhere hot, I think. We will invite the X Factor judges, and Sam is thinking of asking Louis Walsh to be best man.’