Tommy Ludford vows '˜this is just the start' after controversial X Factor exit

The former Robertsbridge Community College student left the show on Saturday night (October 6) after fellow contestant Thomas Pound refused to leave.

Thomas had lost out to Dalton Harris, but then said he would not leave the arena without a seat, setting up a sing-off with J-Sol who had also been given one of the six remaining seats in the boys category.

After their sing-off, One Direction member and X Factor judge Louis Thomlinson decided to give both Thomas and J-Sol a seat and controversially eliminated 20-year-old Tommy Ludford, who was not involved in the sing-off.

On Sunday, Tommy tweeted: “Thank you so much for all your lovely comments and tweets!

“The X Factor was a crazy experience and I’m gutted I didn’t keep my seat.

“But.. I put my little town on the map and I’ve gained some amazing new fans. So stick around because this is just the start.”

Tommy had impressed the X Factor judges from his first audition when he performed his original song Kingpin.

Much acclaimed for his similarity to pop star Ed Sheeran, he progressed in the show despite falling off the stage during his six chair challenge performance.

Tommy has now exited the show just one week shy of the judges’ houses.

On Twitter, a number of people sent well-wishes to Tommy and suggested he returns to show next year.

Peasmarsh singer-songwriter falls off stage during X Factor performance