St Tropez audition for Preston's X-Factor star (From Preston and Leyland Citizen)

St Tropez audition for Preston's X-Factor star

12:07pm Thursday 2nd October 2008

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A Preston grandmother is reaching for the stars after progressing in TV’s The X-Factor.

Louise Heatley, from Ribbleton, flew out to St Tropez last week with her mentor Danni Minogue to perform her toughest audition to date.

But while the 48-year-old grandmother, who only applied to be on the show after being encouraged by her partner Norman Draper, cannot reveal how she got on, she has given The Citizen an insight into what it’s like behind the scenes on the popular ITV1 show.

She said: “Norman said if I didn’t do it now I never would so I decided to take the plunge. It’s an emotional rollercoaster because you are going back and forth to London and you never know if you are going to be heading home on the train or going to a hotel.”

In her first week, viewers saw Simon Cowell telling Louise she had a beautiful face, a compliment she is quick to repay.

She said: “All the judges are really lovely and are just as beautiful in real life as they are on the TV. None of them have slated me yet. The programme showed me giving Simon Cowell a kiss on the cheek but I actually gave them all a kiss.”

Louise was a backing singer for local soul star Stephen Bayliss for several years and he rang her to wish her luck. Although she only started singing solo in her 30s her family – children Leigh, 30, Zoe, 27, Thomas, 20 and Bethany, eight, and grandchildren Elijah and George, both four – never doubted her star quality.

She said: “All my family are really proud of me but they always said I would be famous.

“If it all ended I would be better for having done it. Anyone who appears on the X-Factor benefits from the extra exposure.”

See how Louise gets on in St Tropez on The X-Factor on ITV1 on Saturday from 7.45pm.

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