X Factor legend Craig Colton unrecognisable 13 years on from his audition-Lillie Rohan-Entertainment – Metro

Craig Colton won us over in 2011, now he has a very different look (Picture: Ken McKay/Talkback Thames/REX/Shutterstock)

For some, the X Factor was our favourite show to pop on with dinner, introducing us to our favourite stars. For others, like Craig Colton, they became those stars and it completely transformed their lives.

The 35-year-old musician first auditioned for the show when he was just 22 years old, singing the Adele song Hiding My Heart. Upon impressing the judges, he was quickly pushed through to the next round.

At the time, the aspiring star from Liverpool was sporting a thick dark fringe, a bare baby face, and a passion for music that many of us found endearing, including Take That’s Gary Barlow, who became his mentor.

Together, the pair worked tirelessly to get Craig through to the live shows and were successful in doing so with the star completing until week seven when he was heartbreakingly eliminated.

In the years since, Craig has continued to move in celebrity circles and has even found his forever partner, but you may struggle to recognise him as he underwent a huge transformation soon after leaving the show.

Sitting down with Now magazine, the singer-songwriter revealed during the competition, Gary, 53, put him on a strict health regime, and he chose to stick to it once he left the show.

The star once sported a thick fringe and baby face (Picture: Ken McKay/Talkback Thames/REX/Shutterstock)

Gary mentored the aspiring star (Picture: Ken McKay/Talkback Thames/REX/Shutterstock)

Thanks to the health kick, he has now lost more than four stone and admits he feels ’embarrassed’ when he looks at old pictures.

‘I’ve got so much more confidence now,’ he said. ‘I don’t want to lose a stone a week or anything like that. I used to survive on crisps and sandwiches.’

‘I don’t eat a lot of fat and I’ve cut right down on sugar. Eggs are the way forward.’

Craig’s slimmed-down figure isn’t the only thing that’s changed; he’s also ditched his boyish looks, swapping his thick fringe for a slick back look and his bare face for a full and luscious beard.

Unfortunately for the musician, it hasn’t always been an easy road, and at times, he had to work through the mental difficulties of his journey.

Craig looks entirely different today (Picture: @colton_insta)

‘Once I started to lose weight my insecurities were more heightened,’ he told Loose Women in 2016.

‘I think being in a healthy good relationship helped. I was in a toxic relationship, being with someone new now it feels completely different now.

‘You can change the outside, but the inside will always be the same. As time went on [my insecurities] started to deflate. I did a gig on Saturday and I was absolutely terrified.’

He continued to say he also had to come to terms with the fact that there was a moment he knew he had lost too much weight: ‘You become so obsessed that you don’t know what you’re doing anymore, and you wake up thinking what am I gonna eat or not eat.’

The star has found love with celebrity facialist Shane (Picture: @colton_insta)

Craig has lost four stone since his X Factor days (Picture: @colton_insta)

Thankfully, the star is in a good place and has found the love of his life, Shane Cooper, who he is preparing to wed.

Shane, is a facialist and skin specialist for celebrities and is reportedly close friends with Girls Aloud singer Nicola Roberts and Love Island host Maya Jama.

The pair announced their engagement on Instagram earlier this year, with Shane writing: ‘I said YES! After the most incredible couples massage we head back to our villa where Craig proposed.

‘After crying I said yes! Honestly this evening has been one of the most magical evenings. He said he has been planning this since February last year with @luxurytravelbysoni to create this magical evening.’

Craig appeared on the eighth series of X Factor, coming fifth in the season which was won by Little Mix.

He continues to connect with his fans musically through his YouTube channel.

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