X Factor star Lucy Spraggan has revealed she is getting married and that Simon Cowell will walk her down the aisle.
The 32-year-old singer-songwriter, who appeared on the reality show in 2012, announced on Instagram she is due to marry her girlfriend Emilia Smith in June.
Alongside various shots of the couple celebrating their engagement, Spraggan wrote: “‘When you know, you know’
“That’s the response we’ve heard the most over the last few weeks when Emilia & I have told our people that we are, in fact, getting married in June.
“That’s a phrase I really thought I understood throughout my life, that I believed I had a full appreciation of but…
“It wasn’t until I fell in love with my friend of 10 years that I truly felt it.”
Cowell created singing competition The X Factor in 2004. Pic: AP
It comes as the singer said that Cowell – who created The X Factor in 2004 with his production company Syco TV – agreed to give her away.
“One morning, Simon was about to get in the sea and I said: ‘Will you give me away?’ and he replied: ‘Yeah!’ He went off for a swim and when he came back, he said: ‘I’d absolutely love to. It would be an honour,'” Spraggan told The Sun’s Fabulous magazine.
Last July Spraggan revealed that she suddenly left the ITV talent show during the live rounds after being raped.
She was 20 years old at the time of the attack, which she said was carried out by a hotel porter following a night out with fellow contestants. He pleaded guilty and was given a 10-year prison sentence.
Spraggan on The X Factor in 2012. Pic: Ken McKay/Thames/Shutterstock
The singer told Sky News in August 2023 that she opened up about her traumatic experiences in both her memoir, Process: Finding My Way Through, and her seventh album.
She said that an apology from Cowell paved the way for her healing process.
The 64-year-old said sorry after Spraggan wrote to the companies behind The X Factor: ITV, Fremantle and Syco, detailing her experience in 2012.
Cowell said in a statement: “What happened to Lucy was horrific and heartbreaking… Since we connected, I have had the honour to work with Lucy and I have always supported her wish to tell her story, as well as her efforts to bring about positive change.”
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Spraggan now says she feels like Cowell and his wife Lauren Silverman are like her surrogate parents.
“I authentically love the guy, I love Lauren, I love their son Eric, I love Lauren’s other son Adam,” she said.
“We’re all great friends. I care about them, they care about me, and Simon really cares about my life, my wellness and my music. Simon and Lauren feel like surrogate parents. They’re always looking out for me.”
Spraggan was previously married to Georgina Gordon, who she met shortly after her X Factor stint, and in November 2019 she announced they had split after three years of marriage.
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