Benji Matthews’ "heart was broken" after Louis Walsh dramatically dumped him from ‘The X Factor’ as part of his chaotic Six Chair Challenge last night (15.10.17).
The teen thought he had a place in the Judges Houses’ round after the music manager gave him one of his seats after his incredible performance, but his dreams were shattered after Louis dithered over him, Spencer Sutherland and Lloyd Macey, who were locked in a three-way sing-off, before ultimately giving him the boot.
Taking to his Twitter account, Benji said: "Ahhh! Where do I start? The X Factor has been the best experience of my life so far. The past few months have been amazing for me, and I’d like to thank you all for your generous, kind messages and support. It means the world to me. I would also like to say thank you to Louis, Sharon, Simon, Nicole and the whole of the X Factor ream for such an amazing opportunity. I feel truly blessed. Genuinely, I wish nothing but the best for the boys. It was such a pleasure to meet them all. I’m so excited to continue making music. This whole experience has been so inspiring for new material and I can’t wait to share it with you all.
"I hope you continue following me, I’m overwhelmed with gratitude. I love you all."
Benji then added: "Obviously I was devastated, my heart was broken but honestly-my heart is full of gratitude right now. Please continue to love me, I love u x (sic)"
Fans were hoping that Benji – who wrote and performed his own songs on the show – would be given a second chance after Anthony Russell was dropped from the series because he reportedly admitted to taking drugs to the production team.
However, bosses have decided to replace Anthony – who was nicknamed ‘Skippy’ – with Sam Black, who proposed to his girlfriend on the show, because they believe he stood out – even though he didn’t even make it to the Six Chair Challenge.