Former X Factor contestant Lucy Spraggan has revealed she quit the ITV talent show after being raped.
The singer – who had been a favorite to win in 2012 – suddenly quit the show during her live tours, with program managers telling the public her departure was due to “illness”.
But the 31-year-old has now waived her legal right to anonymity, which is granted to all rape victims, to speak about her ordeal.
Spraggan was 20 at the time of the attack, which she says was carried out by a hotel porter after a night out with other contestants.
Subsequently, she was advised to take medicine to prevent HIV infection – but it made her so ill that she was forced to leave the X factorwon that year by james arthur.
The singer said she wanted to go public at the time, but was warned it could affect her future career.
Spraggan went on to find success in the music industry with two top 10 albums. His release Join The Club reached number seven on the charts in 2013, while Choices reached number five in 2021.
But she said she was tired of not being honest with fans and wanted to speak out now because “to rebuild myself and move on, I needed to speak the truth”.
Detailing the rape in her new memoir, Process: Finding My Way Through, the singer said she once attended a party in London to celebrate fellow countryman Rylan Clark’s 25th birthday at Mayfair Mahiki nightclub.
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But, after being given free booze, she fell unconscious and was driven back to her hotel by a member of the production crew, where a porter offered to help get her back to her room.
Clark then came to her room to check on her and make sure the room was locked, Spraggan said.
However, the doorman later returned with a keycard to unlock the door and attack him.
She wrote: “I woke up the next day with this feeling of sheer dread. I don’t think I’ve ever felt this level of confusion since.
“I knew I had been raped, but I couldn’t understand that. So I put my clothes on and went on autopilot.”
The production team quickly called the police and an arrest was made within hours.
The hotel staff member later pleaded guilty and was jailed.
“No one ever asked me if I was okay”
Spraggan said she felt let down by the program makers and accused them of being “unprepared” to deal with what happened.
She received financial and medical support immediately afterward, but said she received no further support following her attacker’s conviction.
Writing in his memoir, Spraggan said: “No one ever contacted me to ask if I was okay.
“No one called or emailed when the trial ended and he was convicted. No one offered me ongoing rehab or mental health treatment. I was on my own. “
She also told the Guardian: “It was inappropriate for anyone – including the candidates – to be drunk.
“How can you fulfill your duty of care when free booze is involved?”
Spraggan is the latest in a series of former reality TV stars, including former X Factor singer Rebecca Fergusonto worry about the treatment of candidates.
Simon Cowell said what happened to Spraggan was ‘horrific and heartbreaking’
X Factor creator Simon Cowell, who was absent from the 2012 series because he was filming America’s Got Talent in the United States, said in a statement: “What happened to Lucy was horrific and heartbreaking.
“When I had the opportunity to speak to Lucy, I was able to tell her personally how sorry I was for everything she went through.
“Although we met in tragic circumstances, a true friendship and mutual respect developed between us. Lucy is one of the most genuine, talented and courageous people I have ever met.
“Since we connected, I’ve had the honor of working with Lucy and have always been supportive of her desire to tell her story, as well as her efforts to bring about positive change.”
“We are extremely sorry”
A spokesperson for Fremantle, the UK television company which produced The X Factor for ITV, said: “To our knowledge, the attack was an unprecedented event in the UK television industry.
“While we believed throughout that we were doing our best to support Lucy in the aftermath of the ordeal, as Lucy believes we could have done more, so we have to acknowledge that.
“For all that Lucy has suffered, we are extremely sorry. Since then, we have done our best to learn from these events and improve our follow-up processes.
“While we have worked hard to try to protect Lucy’s lifelong right to anonymity, we applaud her strength and bravery now that she has chosen to waive that right.”