Ben Haenow has been dropped by Syco.
The 31-year-old singer beat Fleur East to become the champion of ‘The X Factor’ in 2014.
As is the way with the winners of the programme, he was automatically signed to Simon Cowell’s record label and released his debut single ‘Something I Need’ in December that year.
The track shot to the top of the charts, and Ben followed it with ‘Second Hand Heart’, a duet with Kelly Clarkson that he released in October 2015. However, the track failed to make the top 20 of the British charts.
But it was the poor performance of his track ‘Slamming Doors’, which he also performed on this year’s final of ‘The X Factor’, that was apparently the final nail in the coffin when it came to Simons’ decision about his future with his label.
A source said: "Simon made the decision with a heavy heart.
"He was a big supporter of Ben but it’s simply down to business — Fleur East, who came second, has done much better.
"And at the end of the day our winners, especially the blokes, never have the same success as the likes of One Direction and Olly Murs."
Despite the news, a label insider said that things are still good between Simon and Ben.
A Syco source added to The Sun newspaper: "The relationship between Ben and Syco remains strong.
"Both agree that moving on is the best course of action but are on really good terms. Everyone at Syco is very fond of Ben and wish him well."
Ben also released a statement confirming the news.
He said: "Working with The X Factor and Syco has been the most amazing time of my life and has given me the best possible platform for me and the start of my career.
"However, after discussions both myself and Syco felt it was the right time to move on.
"I am really very excited about this next chapter, I’m already writing and in talks about the next album and loads of other stuff on the go. I can’t wait to share it with you."
X Factor winner Ben Haenow dropped by Simon Cowell’s label
