Celebrity of the Year 2015: Rita Ora joins The X Factor, launches film career and parts ways with Roc Nation

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The Weekender

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With stints on two major TV shows, a role in a hit film and a change of musical direction, 2015 has been a dramatic year for Rita Ora.

While she’s yet to release her second album, the 25-year-old has become a household name thanks to her stand-out red carpet and on-screen appearances.

She kicked off her year as the brand new coach on The Voice, replacing Kylie Minogue opposite Sir Tom Jones, will.i.am and Ricky Wilson.

And Ora wasn’t just on our TV screens every week, she also hit award season hard.

In an array of dramatic and occasionally revealing gowns, the star was seen at The Golden Globes, The BRIT Awards and The Oscars, where she performed on stage in front all a room of A-list guests.

The first half of the year also saw Ora make her big screen debut as Mia Grey in the film adaptation of Fifty Shades of Grey.

While her performance wasn’t exactly critically-acclaimed, the Sam Taylor Wood-directed film certainly got her noticed.

In the summer of 2015, Ora treated fans to new music, with the first single from her second studio album being released in June.

Poison reached number three in the UK singles charts and just two months later she released Body on Me with Chris Brown.

Although her fans were waiting on the album, Ora’s record didn’t drop in 2015 and she decided to go her break from Roc Nation.

Later in the year, the singer filed legal papers in a bid to free herself from her contract with Jay Z’s label.

As if one stint on a TV signing contest wasn’t enough, the RIP singer decided to sign up to replace Mel B as a judge on The X Factor over the summer.

Ditching The Voice, Ora was lured over to ITV by Simon Cowell who reportedly offered her £1.5 million to join the show.

Leaving the year on a definite high, Ora’s young protégée Louisa Johnson was crowned the show’s winner in December.

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