Former X-Factor contestant says she’s never recovered after what producers made her family do on the show

Back in the day, there used to be some pretty shocking things said (and done) on telly.

In fact, it's hard to imagine how some programmes even managed to stay on air.

One prime time TV show, The X Factor was on telly for 17 years before it was eventually cancelled.

In that time, it saw all kinds of hopefuls audition to be the Next Big Thing.

The savage audition process - and exactly what was involved during the early noughties - is the focus of a new BBC podcast, Offstage: Inside The X Factor which speaks to a number of crew and contestants about their experiences.

Speaking about her time on the show, one woman named Sarah Lowe, said that she has never recovered from her audition, and what producers had allegedly 'encouraged her family to do'.

Sarah was just 19 when she applied for the show in 2005, and had already had a pre-audition with producers.

"They said: 'You've got an amazing voice, we think the judges are going to like you.' And I was like: 'This is brilliant'," she explained.

But it didn't go well in the audition room.

After singing her heart out, Simon told her: "It wasn't what I'm looking for at all in this competition."

Sarah, through tears, asked Simon if it was 'her figure' that was putting them off.

"Not your figure Sarah, but some people when they walk in you mentally say 'yes', I mentally went 'no' as soon as you walked in."

Sarah claimed to the BBC that a producer then encouraged her then-fiancê, her sister and her mum, who were waiting for her to come out of her audition, to rush into the audition room and beg the judges to give them another chance.

ITV

The pair could be seen dropping to the floor as they pleaded with the judge to change his mind.

Nearly 20 years on and Sarah has been able to reflect on what happened, saying the experience had a huge impact on her mental health.

"I went into Asda, and there was a lady getting on her hands and knees and saying, 'Please, Simon, can I have some more?' I was so ashamed," she said.

The X Factor ended back in 2018 after viewings plummeted.

Figures peaked in 2010 when 19.4 million people tuned into the finale, but by 2018, they had dropped to 4.3 million.

LADbible has reached out to ITV and to Simon Cowell for comment.