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Daily Mirror
Daily Mirror
Entertainment
Lucy Domachowski

X Factor winner looks unrecognisable after ditching fame for new job 7 years after show

X Factor champ Matt Terry is living a very different life now from when he was crowned winner of the thirteenth singing show seven years ago.

The 29-year-old enjoyed a meteoric rise to fame after he auditioned for the ITV show with a cover of Ben E. King's Stand By Me and managed to get four yeses from the judges.

Matt shot to fame in 2016 when he beat Saara Aalto to the top spot.

He landed a record deal with Sony label RCA after his win, with show bosses wanting the label to turn Matt into the next Olly Murs.

He was flying high but he was quickly dropped by his record label just two years later and has now shunned the mainstream spotlight for a new career.

Matt now performs on cruise ships, last month taking to the stage on the P&O Iona Cruise where he showed off his musical talent.

Matt is now performing on a cruise ship (Instagram)
He looks worlds away from his time on X Factor (Instagram)

He performed at The Limelight Club on board the vessel, alongside other acts.

The star was spotted in action, belting out covers on stage, on a passenger’s travel vlog.

The creator behind channel Life With Lucy told her fans: "We had Matt Terry performing, and if you don't know him, he was the winner of X Factor in 2016.

"His voice is absolutely incredible, and I would definitely recommend seeing him if he is on your cruise," she advised.

Matt could be seen singing a Sam Smith number, before treating holidaymakers to a rendition of Stand By Me.

Matt shot to fame after his win in 2016 (Syco / Thames / Dymond)

Cruise-goers paid an extra £25-35 to enjoy Matt’s performance as they tucked into a three-course dinner.

Matt has been keeping fans up-to-date with his career moves on his Instagram.

He recently teamed up with a pianist to perform Beyoncé's Cuff It – much to his loyal fans’ delight.

One fan took to the comments to gush over his new cruise ship venture: "Saw you perform on Britannia last week. You were brilliant.

"Then, we had a chat when we met in the Thermal suite/Sauna. Was loving chatting with you, Matt. I wish you all the success and safe Travels.”

After his win, Matt released his debut single, When Christmas Comes Around which peaked at number three on the UK singles charts.

2017 saw Matt release his first single from his debut album, Sucker For You.

Matt's album ended up being the lowest charting debut album from any The X Factor winner (PA)

However, the single peaked at 51 on the UK Singles Chart and a second single, a ballad called The Thing About Love was released afterwards.

He performed the single on The X Factor as a guest performer and he confirmed that the album would be released on 24th November 2017.

Upon release, Terry's album peaked at 29 on the UK Albums Chart but his album ended up being the lowest charting debut album from any The X Factor winner.

After being dropped by RCA Records, Matt decided to have a go at acting instead.

He made his acting debut in the UK production of Madagascar – The Musical and in 2019, he returned to the Madagascar musical, portraying the role of Alex the Lion.

Matt then landed a part in the production of Dr Seuss' How The Grinch Stole Christmas Musical! as Young Max.

He took on the role of Stacee Jaxx and joins the cast of the touring show Rock of Ages last year.

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