- The Guardian, Saturday 13 December 2008
- Article history
X Factor judges Cheryl Cole and Dannii Minogue. Photograph: ITV
Although the winner of the fifth series of the hugely successful television show The X Factor won't be announced until tonight, most people already know who the victor will be.
There hasn't been another phone rigging scandal, but ever since she made her first appearance on the show in August the press and, unusually, her colleagues have been unanimous in their verdict: come on down and collect your crown, judge Cheryl Cole.
Her success has been celebrated by tabloid headlines, in all their "The nation's sweetheart" and "Our Geordie princess" clichéd glory. Her glittery warmth has helped her to outshine her fellow judges, even the normally attention-hogging Simon Cowell, who has reportedly offered her a 100% pay rise to come back for another series.
She has been dubbed the year's fashion icon by several magazines and will appear on the cover of Vogue next month, and all this is largely thanks to an attribute that is generally reserved for the contestants: her "story".
"Knowing what we now know about her upbringing and the way she handled the problems in her marriage, plus the fact she herself emerged from a talent show, well, of course everyone watches her," said Jane Bruton, editor of Grazia, which recently named Cole fashion icon of the year. "Cheryl has made an enormous contribution to the show. Would we want her back? Oh, of course we would!" said Lorraine Heggessey, chief executive of Talkback Thames, the company behind the talent show.
But when it was announced last summer that she was to replace Sharon Osbourne as a judge on the show, such success was hardly a given. Cheryl, née Tweedy, was born and raised on a council estate in Heaton, Newcastle. While her brother Andrew has appeared in court more than 50 times, largely on charges of theft and vandalism, his sister, who has described herself as ambitious and career-driven, entered talent competitions throughout her teens and then escaped for good after appearing on X Factor-alike show Popstars: the Rivals in 2002, on which her pop group, Girls Aloud, was formed.
"That she herself has been through the talent show process was definitely part of her appeal for us," said Heggessey. Yet Cole could also be a lesson in the perils of fame. In 2003 she was accused of punching a black female toilet attendant in a nightclub. Cole was fined and given 120 hours of community service but cleared of racial motivation.
In 2006 the singer married footballer Ashley Cole, an event that OK! Magazine celebrated over 40 pages detailing the allegedly £500,000 wedding, and the bride and groom's matching white satin outfits inevitably drawing comparisons with the Beckhams.
Earlier this year Cole passed another footballer's wife milestone when a tabloid claimed her husband had been unfaithful. The couple stayed together, and the tattoo, Mrs Cole, remains on the back of her neck.
Just when it seemed Cole might vanish down a Victoria Beckham-sized hole of disapproval about her weight and the gloomy shadow of her husband's scandal, she was approached by Talkback. "I'd seen how sparky she was when she did The Apprentice for Comic Relief. You'd think she'd be a pushover but when she was pitted against Alastair Campbell in The Apprentice viewers saw her steel, and on X Factor she can hold her own, even against Simon [Cowell]," said Heggessey.
But Cole's signature on the show has been more saccharine than sharp. Her propensity to tears has become so frequent that it has been immortalised by artist Lee Jones, depicting her as Antony Gormley's Angel of the North, dabbing at her eyes with a tissue.
Some remain sceptical, judging from internet chatrooms, but most fall for it. "Bitchiness on TV looks so old now. Sometimes you just want niceness, and Cheryl comes across as so warm," said Bruton.
Her changing fashion style has also helped. She has abandoned the Waggish hotpants (if not the hair extensions) in favour of a lower key, prettier look. She has become a fan of Matthew Williamson, who recently spent three hours with Cole in his store choosing dresses.
"She came in with a PA, not a stylist, and although I'd try to persuade her to choose some things, she knew what would work best on her. She has a good fashion antenna now and I think she's enjoying the process [of being a style icon]," said Williamson.
But unlike her Beckham antecedent, Cole, despite her Vogue shoot and designer gowns, has retained her every girl appeal. One fashion editor recalls how Cole requested to wear a River Island dress in a recent shoot, rejecting the alternatives by Chloe and Alexander McQueen on a rail.
"But she still loves to dress up and look glam, which is very northern and I think appeals to women as well as men," added Williamson. "I can see her becoming the next Cat Deeley - the British celebrity who takes on America."
"She has that similar combination of prettiness, sparkiness and warmth," said Bruton. "Certainly in my world, her fame has definitely overtaken that of her husband."
The final three
Alexandra Burke
Twenty-year-old Londoner and deserving odds-on favourite. A little bit Beyoncé, a whole lotta Whitney
Best moment Easily her rendition of Beyoncé's Listen which was almost better than the original. And also Toni Braxton's Unbreak My Heart, which definitely was.
Worst moment Admission that Joss Stone is her best friend and her mum was in Soul II Soul. So is not exactly out of nowhere, then. Plus the Joss connection can only bode ill.
Odds 4/7
Eoghan Quigg
Fabulously named and cherub-faced Northern Irish teenager mentored by Simon Cowell. Inevitably dubbed "the little lad with the big voice".
Best moment Possibly his are-they-aren't-they romance with failed contender Diana Vickers, which made him look a little more pop star and a little less choirboy. His take on Never Forget was, indeed, unforgettable.
Worst moment That Guggenheim museum-like hairstyle. Being called "Quiglet" by the judges hasn't helped
Odds 7/2
JLS
The south-east London boys cater to a demographic too young to remember Boyz II Men.
Best moment The coordinated head turn during montages? Their addition of the line "You can be my Cinderella" to Rihanna's Umbrella? All valid contenders. But it probably was their gig in rock'n'roll Croydon that was stampeded by 3,000 fans, resulting in hospitalisations. Not since the days of Beatlemania, etc.
Worst moment Their growing fondness for Artful Dodger chic. A waistcoat and cheeky beret will not a Justin Timberlake make, boys.
Odds 3/1
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