X Factor's Kye Sones is unrecognisable alongside celeb pal Fearne Cotton - 12 years after show

Kye Sones appeared on The X Factor back in 2012 and has since undergone a dramatic transformation. The singer is now a successful songwriter and has a host of celebrity fans

Former X Factor star Kye Sones is hitting all the right notes in his career post-talent show, and it's not just his old fanbase that's noticed. After dazzling audiences back in 2012, he may have finished in eighth place, but that hasn't stopped him from penning tracks that got him a BRIT nomination and scoring gigs as the live vocal talent for Lost Frequencies.

Rubbing shoulders with celebs on Instagram like Denise Van Outen and Michelle Heaton, Kye's even snagged a spot in AJ Odudu and Gok Wan's following list - clearly one to watch. But perhaps most tellingly of all is his bromance with Fearne Cotton; you only need to see her gushing birthday message in 2023 to know it's real.

Being godfather to her son Rex, Fearne's Instagram tribute celebrated Kye's ambition and musical magic: "Happy birthday @kyesones. Here's to another year of making your dreams come true, travelling to new places (literally and metaphorically), and making incredible music. We love you to the moon Kyesta."

And if you're wondering, yes - his tunes are just as fab, with his EP 'Seven' soaring to number two on iTunes and collabs with Gabrielle Aplin and Iain James to boot! Kye has been making waves in the music scene, not only by writing and producing tunes for TV shows, ads, and apps but also by crafting dance tracks for big-name labels like Ultra Records and Hospital Records.

Meanwhile, Fearne recently took a stand on Instagram against body-shaming trolls. She felt compelled to speak out after receiving negative comments about her appearance following a selfie she shared. "Sometimes I think, I can't be a***d to respond to the insane amounts of noise on here, but when it comes to judging bodies I feel something has to be said," she posted.

Fearne continued, highlighting the toxic online culture around body image: "Online arguments or discussions around what bodies look like (see my last post) are not helpful. If we are judging other peoples bodies or making accusations we are driving a narrative that women have to look a certain way to be accepted. This sort of attention is not cast upon men, ever."

She concluded with a personal note: "No matter what my size, pregnant or other wise, I have knobbly knees and spindly ankles."