An X Factor finalist said he dreamed of being the ‘next Robbie Williams’ but instead Simon Cowell killed off his love life.
Sean Smith, 39, said he ‘never had a problem with the ladies’ before competing on the ITV show in 2007 with his sister Sarah in the group Same Difference.
However, his mentor Simon, 65, leant into the duo’s ‘squeaky-clean and saccharine’ for the live shows and were seen as ‘cheesy and asexual’ by viewers.
Any chance of being perceived as a sex god was further ruined when siblings Same Difference were given love songs to perform to each other which was branded ‘creepy’ by the audience at home.
And to really stick in the knife, Simon branded Sean and Sarah as ‘potentially two of the most annoying people I’ve ever met’ after they auditioned.
Sean told The Sun: ‘I went in thinking I would be the next Robbie Williams and came out the next H from Steps, it wasn’t what I was looking for.
‘I’m not trying to put H down but it wasn’t where I hoped to be headed, I dreamed of being the frontman at Knebworth with girls screaming my name.
‘But in Same Difference, I came across as asexual and “the protective brother”. My friends got more girls than I did because of their association with me.
‘I’d never had a problem with ladies before The X Factor.’
However, The X Factor did not destroy his romantic prospects for good as he tied the knot with his wife Lyuda Lakovenk last year.
On the singing competition show, Same Difference sang hits from the likes of Steps, the cast of High School Musical, S Club 7, The Jacksons, and Diana Ross, getting to the last three.
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They were eventually beaten by that year’s winner Leon Jackson and runner-up Rhydian Roberts but went down in X Factor history after their run to the final.
Same Difference continued releasing music but disbanded in 2014 after being dropped from their label. They reformed briefly in 2020 to release a new single, before embarking on separate solo careers.
Since the split, Sean has enjoyed particular success as a musical theatre performer including Queen’s We Will Rock You alongside Anita Dobson and on cruise ships.
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Currently, he is starring as the Prince in pantomime Sleeping Beauty at the Middleton Arena in Manchester.
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