X Factor : Celebrity is coming to an end tonight, as the remaining celebs battle it out to claim the top spot.
Though he was eliminated at the beginning of the month, Eyal Booker impressed judges and viewers alike with his vocals on the show.
The 24-year-old hunk was one-quarter of No Love Lost, a pop group made up of Love Island stars from the 2018 series, featuring Samira Mighty, Wes Nelson and Zara McDermott.
Speaking exclusively to Daily Star Online, the reality star opened up about his time on the show – and his first encounter with judge Simon Cowell.
Eyal said: “I’d never met [the judges] before. It’s one of those shows that you watch growing up on TV and then you think ‘wow, wouldn’t it be fun to do that’ and then all of a sudden this crazy opportunity comes about. It’s one of those things that you can’t say no to.
“We didn’t meet any of the judges until the judges’ houses when it was the first performance.”
With filming taking place in Los Angeles, the first time Eyal was face-to-face with music mogul Simon was during their debut performance.
He said: “It was just really quite surreal.”
“You step out the first time in LA, bear in mind you’re nervous because you haven’t sung in a group before.
(Image: ITV)
“All of a sudden you’ve got Simon and Louis and Nicole sat there, all of these people that you’ve seen be such harsh critics as well as being incredible mentors.
“And they’re about to judge you along with some serious people in the music industry sat in that audience. It was just a really surreal and crazy moment.
Eyal went on: “That was genuinely the first time we ever met them. Simon says that he didn’t know who was performing. He left it to his music team, so he didn’t know who was coming on the show until we stepped out on that stage.”
(Image: ITV)
Back in London during the live shows, Simon stepped in to mentor the budding pop group and direct their onstage performances.
Eyal explained: “Simon would come into our auditions and give us feedback and tell us what he thought was working and what wasn’t.”
Since leaving the show, No Love Lost are determined to keep making music and promise to show their support for the remaining acts at tonight’s finale.
With Christmas around the corner, Eyal also has goodwill on the agenda, as he’s partnered up with Action for Children in their new Secret Santa campaign to raise funds for vulnerable young people.
Speaking about the wonderful cause, the X Factor star said: “It’s something that I’ve seen before and wanted to get involved with. And, it means I can use my platform to raise awareness – especially at Christmas time. “
Action for Children’s Secret Santa t-shirts and jumpers are available to purchase from www. actionforchildrenshop.com
