Derry man to star in new X-Factor series

A young Derry man will appear in upcoming series or the X­-Factor when the hugely popular TV talent show returns to our screens this Saturday night.

Connor McGinty (pictured) will feature in a future edition of the series after he attended auditions for the show at Wembley Arena in June.

The 20­year­old will become latest member of the McGinty family to showcase his singing talents to an audience of millions, as his cousin is none other than Damian McGinty, who achieved global fame through his involvement with the smash hit US TV show ‘Glee’.

Connor, a former pupil of St Columb’s College who is currently studying at the University of Ulster’s Magee campus, was one of thousands of hopefuls who tried out for the show at the summer auditions in London.

A friend of Connor’s told the Derry News: “We’re just delighted for him. He’s a very talented and modest young man and we hope he does really well.”

Saturday’s show will also mark the first appearance of the show’s new judges, Radio 1 DJ Nick Grimshaw, who takes over from Louis Walsh and singer Rita Ora, who will take over former Spice Girl Mel B's seat.

They will join Cheryl Fernandez­Versini and show regular Simon Cowell for the new series.