Former X Factor contestants plan £1m lawsuit over 'trauma and mistreatment' claims

A group of former X Factor contestants are reportedly planning a multi-million-pound lawsuit against Simon Cowell’s firm SyCo. Five solo acts and one group are said to have claimed that going on the ITV talent show led to “bullying, mistreatment and neglect”.

One claimant, who has not been named, told the Sunday Mirror that being on the show was "a horrific experience" and that former contestants have been "suffering for years as a result", the Mirror reports. The singer said: “Myself and five former acts have agreed to join forces and get the justice we feel we deserve. Simon needs to take responsibility. We lost a lot of money from having periods of our lives not making money to deal with trauma still ingrained from the show."

The claimant said the case was "about justice, being compensated for the time and money we’ve spent with medical professionals trying to live normal lives again" and added: “We have a lot of evidence, including emails, recordings and psychological assessments that will show how we were mistreated."

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Speaking about how the show has affected them, they said: “It’s very easy for the public to see us with make-up, beautiful clothes and dry ice floating around. But just moments before stepping on stage many contestants were sleep deprived, in tears and suffering trauma.

"Lots of contestants are from underprivileged backgrounds so getting on the show was like a winning lottery ticket. You’re sold the dream, but once you’re off the show, you’re thrown into the world with very little after care.

"Your mental wellbeing was of no one’s interest. We were just pawns in their game. When I entered the show I was confident,