X Factor 2016: Fleur East says Honey G left on a high – and handled stage invasion like a pro

Our columnist gives her verdict on this year’s most talked about act
Verdict: Fleur East shares her thoughts on Honey G and Saara Aalto in this week's X Factor round-up
Richard Stonehouse/Getty
Fleur East29 November 2016

Honey G has left The X Factor – I think it had got to the point now where the people left in the competition are really strong, and it would have been a shame to see any one of the others go.

Simon Cowell really summed it up when he decided to send her home, saying it was what people at home were expecting him to do, and what’s right for the competition.

Saving Honey G over Ryan Lawrie only worked last week because he had been in the bottom so many times. In this situation, 5 After Midnight are so strong. Everyone’s backing them to get to the final, so it wouldn’t have been fair if they’d left the competition.

Honey G handled the stage invasion on Saturday pretty well – I couldn’t even tell that anything had happened from her face or through her actions, she was really calm. A similar thing happened when I was on the show, someone ran on when Stereo Kicks were on stage – we all saw it during the live show. It’s quite scary when something like that happens, but it was a true test of Honey G’s character, she remained really professional.

The Mannequin Challenge was amazing too, on live TV – it was a really good way for Honey to leave the competition, she went on a high with that one. She had a good run, she had a good time, so good for her.

We’ll have to wait and see what happens with Honey G now that she’s left. She’s definitely got a fan base, they got her all the way to the final five which is amazing – there are people that support her out there.

I really liked the Louis Loves theme – it was funny, the judges saying how good the songs were. It was interesting to see 5 After Midnight doing Uptown Funk, it took me back to when I did it on the show, it was such a huge moment. I have no idea why they ended up in the bottom two, it’s just getting so tough now and you never know what’s going to happen when everyone’s really strong.

X Factor 2016: who's been eliminated so far?

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I enjoyed Emily Middlemas’ more active performance this week. It was good to see a different side to her and a bit more attitude. Even the judges said, you can do both – you can do soft, and then you can come and do something quite edgy. I was waiting to see something like that for a while, because it kept being brought up every week on the panel.

My favourite this week was Saara Aalto doing The Winner Takes it All, that was amazing. She’s been the underdog of the competition. In the first few weeks, she kept getting in the bottom and I couldn’t understand why she was there because for me she’s one of the strongest. It’s been a tougher journey for her, she’s had to work a lot harder than the others, and I think that’s why she’s stayed where she is now. She’s proved herself and really found her niche in the competition.

Moving into the semi-finals, I think Matt Terry is the clear favourite – I’ve said it from the beginning. He’ll definitely get into the final. He ticks every box – he’s likeable, he’s got an amazing voice, he’s really talented. He’s shown every week with every theme that he can rise to the challenge. I don’t think he’s had a weak performance, and in that sense he deserves to be in the final.

It’s tough when you get this far in the competition – you’ve got that far because the public love you for who you are, so you don’t want to take too big a risk.But saying that, at this point is where I did Uptown Funk, and I took a huge risk with a song no-one had heard. Sometimes at this stage the risk can help you.

None of the semi-finalists should get too comfortable – anything can change at this point.

Tweet me your thoughts: @FleurEast

The X Factor is on ITV on Saturday at 8pm

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