Virginia Hampson: “The X Factor has a bigger reputation than Little Mix: The Search”

After the tense arena auditions, Halle, Seorsia, Jess, Kellimarie and Luena were picked to create Simon Cowell’s new (and hopefully) chart-topping girl band.

But a last minute change saw Virginia, who was previously rejected at both the closed auditions and the arena auditions, brought back by Nicole Scherzinger after she “couldn’t stop thinking about” the 17-year-old.

And despite having quite a tumultuous journey on The X Factor: The Band so far, Virginia is glad she chose to star on this as opposed to the BBC’s upcoming talent contest, Little Mix: The Search.

“I thought X Factor is obviously an ongoing show, while Little Mix: The Search hasn’t had anything going on yet,” she explained to RadioTimes.com.

“I didn’t know whether I would try something new or stay safe with The X Factor. [The X Factor] has a reputation, so I decided to stick with it.”

Virginia is now treating her place in the girl band as her “second, second chance” and admits she is feeling the heat after being invited back twice – but cannot wait to see what the future will hold should the girl band win the competition come Sunday.

“There’s a lot of pressure,” she said. “But everyone has supported me really closely, especially Nicole. You do feel supported, and it’s nice to have that.

“If the girl band had the success of Little Mix or One Direction, it would be amazing. They’ve done some amazing things and been presented with some real opportunities. I’m really excited for that to happen.”

The X Factor: The Band continues Friday at 8:30pm on ITV