X Factor star Lucy Spraggan dismisses sexuality interest
X Factor contestant Lucy Spraggan says she is surprised by recent media attention about her sexuality.
In an interview with PinkNews.co.uk ahead of tonight’s show, the 20-year-old from Sheffield said an article written by her mum about her daughter’s sexuality – which the press picked up and reported last month – had actually been written 18 months ago.
Spraggan’s mum, Anstey, is a freelance journalist and had been asked to write a piece on parents having LGBT children after TV presenter Jonathan Ross revealed to GaydarRadio that his eldest daughter, Betty Kitten, was indeed gay in January 2011.
When asked about her mum’s article, Spraggan told PinkNews.co.uk:
“That’s not recent, that’s about two years old that article, my mum is a freelance journalist, when [Betty Kitten Ross] was outed they were looking for journalists whose kids had come out, so my mum wrote an article about me coming out before I went on X Factor”.
Spraggan said she was surprised by some of the recent headlines – but understands it comes with entering the public spotlight.
“I think the Sun and the Mirror wrote articles like ‘Lucy Spraggan is a homosexual!’ and everyone was like ‘brilliant, well done, that was in the Guardian two years ago’”.
X Factor judge Mel B recently said Spraggan – who has already had chart success with her track, Last Night, reaching number 5 in the Itunes chart – is her favorite contestant.
However, Spraggan was forced to take down all of her music last month by X Factor bosses, as her track looked set to oust the show’s last year winners Little Mix and their single Wings from the number one slot.
She told this publication that she was “upset” by the decision.
Spraggan says this year’s changes to the show of allowing contestants to enter who have also written their own music is the main driving force behind her decision to apply.
“I just thought if that platform is out there, I need to get on it, it’s great they have changed the vibe this year, because it then opens the door for people like me to come in that don’t do the singing to a backing track thing”.
When asked about some of the previous gay singers of X Factor, such as Joe McElderry, who kept his sexuality private during the competition, Spraggan replied:
“To me, there has never been a question about being openly gay or closed gay, it is only an issue for people that make it an issue”.
She concluded: “If there are people out there who are going to judge me for being gay, then I do not want them to be my fans, I don’t think it matters”.
