Jewish singer Katie Waissel has made it through to the live show stage of this year's X Factor.

The 24-year-old from Hertfordshire is one of 12 acts to be taken through from the judges houses stage of the competition.

Unlike last year’s Jewish contestant Stacey Solomon, Ms Waissel will be mentored by Cheryl Cole, who said of her protégé: “I think you're quirky, I think you’re original, I think there’s something very intriguing about you.

“But I also have to say that there’s a little something that I think people could find, if I’m being brutally honest, a little bit annoying.”

Ms Waissel, a former pupil of Heathfield School in Pinner, has already enjoyed musical success elsewhere, recording music under the name Lola Fontaine.

She had claimed to be a part-time receptionist with no musical experience, but after her audition for X Factor it emerged she had also starred in a reality series, about an aspiring singer.

Read the JC's interview with Katie here

Watch Katie perform Smile here