Stacey Solomon has candidly revealed the profound psychological impact of her time on The X Factor, describing how performance anxiety caused her to "completely black out" during the competition. The television personality, who rose to fame on the ITV talent show in 2009, explained during a BBC Radio 2 interview with Scott Mills that the trauma she experienced has permanently ended her singing career.
Severe Performance Anxiety and Memory Loss
Speaking about her X Factor experience, Solomon detailed the extreme physical and emotional reactions she endured every Saturday night. "The anxiety I used to get every Saturday night... my mouth would go so dry," she confessed. "I've got the shivers just thinking about it. My mouth would go like sand and my lips would turn inside out."
The 36-year-old star revealed that her nervousness was so overwhelming that she experienced complete memory loss during performances. "I can honestly say, I don't know if it was trauma or what, but I don't remember the performances," Solomon explained. "I would completely black out – come back off [stage], and be like, I don't even remember what I just did. That's how nervous I was and I don't think I ever put myself through that again."
From Singer to Television Personality
Despite finishing third on The X Factor, Solomon made a strategic career shift away from music and toward television. Her breakthrough came in 2010 when she won I'm A Celebrity... Get Me Out Of Here!, establishing herself as a popular television figure. Over the following years, she became a familiar face on numerous shows including Celebrity Juice, A League Of Their Own, and Through The Keyhole.
Solomon's television career reached new heights in 2016 when she joined the Loose Women panel, becoming one of the program's most recognizable presenters. She has since expanded her media presence through social media, where she has cultivated a massive following by sharing cleaning and DIY tips that have earned her the title of "DIY guru."
Recent Television Success and Britain's Got Talent Appearance
More recently, Solomon made a notable appearance on Britain's Got Talent, temporarily replacing Simon Cowell on the judging panel alongside Amanda Holden, Alesha Dixon, and YouTube star KSI. Her fellow judges and hosts praised her contribution to the show, highlighting her empathy and understanding of contestants' experiences.
Alesha Dixon commented: "Stacey was adorable. She's so sweet, very natural, and I liked the way she spoke to contestants because she's always coming from a good place. She knows how it feels to be on stage and audition, so she had that empathy for them."
Hosts Ant and Dec both noted Solomon's unique perspective as a former talent show contestant. Ant observed: "Stacey knows exactly what it's like to stand on this stage, audition and be judged for a show like this. It was nice for her to sit there in the judge's chair and put herself in the shoes of every auditionee who walked on stage."
Amanda Holden added: "She's warm, she's super funny, she has a great understanding of what it's like to be on the other side, because she obviously auditioned for The X Factor. Even though she's smashing it in the real world now, she's very down to earth and doesn't have an ego."
Embracing New Opportunities
Despite abandoning her singing career, Solomon has embraced numerous other opportunities in the entertainment industry. She released her book "Tap to Tidy: Organising, Crafting & Creating Happiness in a Messy World" in 2021 and currently hosts the BBC show "Sort Your Life Out."
The television star credits her father's advice for her willingness to pursue diverse opportunities. "My dad used to say to me, 'Don't say no, you will get opportunities in life and just go for it. Work your butt off, if you love it, never stop, just keep going,' and I think I've always adopted that mentality," Solomon explained.
She added: "Whenever anyone's giving me an opportunity and I've been privileged to get opportunities, I've just been like, 'right, come on, then, let's do it, we'll go for it.'" This philosophy has clearly served her well as she continues to build her multifaceted career in television and media.
