Former X Factor star Janet Devlin has claimed she was close to suicide while appearing on the singing competition back in 2011.
The 25-year-old star was just 16-years-old when she featured on the eighth season of the long-running ITV show alongside other acts including Little Mix, Marcus Collins and Frankie Cocozza.
But the angelic voiced singer was struggling with dark thoughts during her time on the competition and says other stars on the series were as well.
Janet makes her heartbreaking comments in a new autobiography, titled My Confessional – which is also the title of her latest album.
Janet’s comments are quoted in The Sun where she says: “During my time on the show the dark clouds came back in full force.
“If I wasn’t rehearsing a performance or surrounded by other contestants at the X Factor house, I would be contemplating suicide, though I could never bring myself to think that word.”
“Something had to be done. I spoke to the crew on the show.
“To my surprise, I was reassured that I wasn’t the only one going through it. That other contestants had been visiting a therapist and psychologist as well.”
Janet says she was then taken by staff to London’s Harley Street for an assessment.
During her consultation, it became apparent how much Janet was struggling.
She says: “On a scale of one to 100, 100 being the worst, I scored 93. This was not good news. Proof, were it needed, of just how on the edge of suicide I was.”
An X Factor spokesperson: “The duty of care to our contestants and those auditioning for the show is of the utmost importance to us.
"We take welfare of our contestants very seriously and have measures in place to ensure that they are supported at every stage of the process.”
X Factor sources also highlighted that a psychologist is available at all times should contestants wish at any stage to speak to anyone independently, and that if show staff were to be alerted to any medical issue we act immediately.
Janet went on to say she turned to drinking as a self-medication for her troubles.
The singer has opened up about her battle with alcohol in the past.
In a YouTube video posted in March, she told fans “loneliness” in her teenage years made her “go off the rails.”
She said: “I was buying big bottles of gin, drinking them at night time, topping them up in the morning.
“I was a mess. Booze gave me so much, it was this magical juice that allowed me to come out of my shell.”
Janet turned her life around after attending Alcoholics Anonymous meetings.
She said: “There are so many great things that have happened since I got sober, I never would have seen that, I never would have been able to live my life [without being] sober.
“My life would have ended in the darkness and the pain, and the hurt of being an alcoholic, when there's so much more to life than that.”
* Samaritans (116 123) operates a 24-hour service available every day of the year. If you prefer to write down how you’re feeling, or if you’re worried about being overheard on the phone, you can email Samaritans at jo@samaritans.org
