A celebrity version of The X Factor is to hit ITV screens next month, with 15 star acts competing for the approval of judges Simon Cowell, Louis Walsh and Nicole Scherzinger. The show, hosted by Dermot O'Leary, replaces the traditional series that has aired annually since 2004.
The line-up is split into three categories: the overs, the unders, and the groups. Among the groups are The Islanders, a supergroup made up of Love Island contestants Wes Nelson, Zara McDermott, Eyal Booker and Samira Mighty. Former Strictly Come Dancing professional Brendan Cole has teamed up with actor Jeremy Edwards to form Cole and Edwards, while identical twins Harvey and Max Mills, known for their social media success, also compete.
Latin American influencers Sofia, Alondra, Laura, Wendii and Natalie make up girl group V5, while rugby players Thom Evans, Levi Davis and Ben Foden have joined forces as Try Star.
Individual contestants include US chat show host Ricki Lake, best known for her lead role in the 1988 film Hairspray; The Chase star Jenny Ryan, who initially wrote questions for the programme before becoming a chaser in 2015; and BBC religion editor Martin Bashir, who famously interviewed Diana, Princess of Wales in 1995.
Also taking part are the actress who played Angie Appleton in Coronation Street until this year, the former child star who appeared in Love Actually, reality star McKenna from Ex On The Beach, and actress and singer Hasselhoff.
This is not the first celebrity version of the show; in 2006, The X Factor: Battle of the Stars featured contestants including Chris Moyles, Paul Daniels and Debbie McGee.
