BREAKING NEWS
10:15pm UK, Sunday December 13, 2009
Geordie Joe McElderry Wins X Factor
Joe McElderry has been crowned X Factor champion after winning the public vote.
X Factor champion: Joe McElderry crowned after winning public vote
The hot favourite 18-year-old student from South Shields won the final of the hit ITV1 contest, beating Olly Murs.
His victory topped one of the most lucrative weekends in British broadcasting, with an extended results show creating prime advertising spots in front of an expected audience of 20 million.
The X Factor finalists
McElderry beat 200,000 applicants to The X Factor and more than 10 million public votes were cast.
He hugged his mentor, fellow Geordie Cheryl Cole, and said: "I can't even speak, thank you so much everyone."
He added: "I can't actually speak and I just want to say thank you to Cheryl, she's been an amazing mentor."
He also thanked the other judges and everyone who voted for him.
Cole told him: "I feel over the moon, I'm absolutely delighted. The right person won. I'm so proud of you. The North East are going to be going mad."
Cole: 'Amazing mentor'
McElderry's single, The Climb, will be available for download from midnight and will be in shops on Wednesday, said host Dermot O'Leary.
Simon Cowell told McElderry he was "gutted for Olly" but "thrilled for you because you're brilliant".
It was Cole's second victory in a row, after mentoring Alexandra Burke in last year's competition.
Bookmakers said McElderry was now the red-hot favourite to secure Christmas number one, with Ladbrokes cutting his odds of earning the top spot to 1/8.
In a sign of the show's ability to draw in the world's top stars, Sir Paul McCartney appeared on the final show singing Drive My Car with McElderry, Murs and this year's other 10 X Factor finalists.
