X Factor host Olly Murs remembers "tough" Boot Camp: "I was awful"
As this year's Boot Camp gets under way, a sympathetic Murs is reminded of his own experiences as a contestant in 2009
X Factor has reached Boot Camp stage and for co-host Olly Murs it's brought back memories of his own audition when he was a contestant in 2009.
The singer, who now fronts the main show with Caroline Flack, told his Twitter followers that watching this year's crop of hopefuls perform reminded him of the "tough time" he had trying to impress the judges.
BOOTCAMP always brings back 2009 memories!! Loads of awesome singers but I had no sleep, nervous, forgot my lyrics, I was awful! Tough time!
— Olly Murs (@ollyofficial) July 27, 2015
It's hardly surprising Boot Camp has stirred up those memories: two of this year's judges were there deciding Olly's fate six years ago, too. Yep, just like this year's wannabe chart stars, Murs performed for Simon Cowell and Cheryl Fernandez-Versini. Perhaps he should just join in again. No one would mind going up against a singer who's had four UK Number One singles, right...?
Along with Louis Walsh and Dannii Minogue the judges had been blown away by Murs's cheeky opening audition during which he performed Stevie Wonder's Superstition. But when he came back, they weren't as unanimously impressed by his rendition of Elton John's Your Song. Cowell was frustrated that Murs had taken the "safe option", saying he could sing Elton John "in his sleep".
We'll turn to Murs himself for a video demonstration of how hearing that probably felt...
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It worked out pretty well though. Murs made it through to the live shows, finished up the series as runner-up and is now a successful pop star fronting the show.
The X Factor returns to ITV later this year
