Holly Willoughby has revealed that she missed her first Xtra Factor show on Saturday night as she was much too busy partying at the ‘V’ Festival.

The ITV presenter told The Mirror: “My mum texted me to tell me what she thought. I didn’t get chance to see it, I was too busy watching bands.

Yet another reason for us to love this down to earth stunner!

TalkbackThames and ITV2 have announced that Holly Willoughby will be joining The X Factor team to present the ITV2 spin-off show The Xtra Factor for the forthcoming new series which kicks off on air in the summer.

Holly said of the new project: “I am thrilled to be joining the X Factor team, I have always been a big fan of the show and I am looking forward to going on the road with the team and meeting some of the colourful characters the UK has to offer as well as this year’s potential new stars.” Read more & comment »

Holly Willoughby has been tipped as the new presenter of X Factor spin off show, The Xtra Factor.

Fearne Cotton presented the show last year, but has dropped out this year as she is trying to forge a presenting career in America.

Holly is no stranger to TV presenting, and many people will recognise her from presenting Dancing On Ice with Phillip Schofield.

A source told the Sunday Mirror: ‘Fearne was very happy to wave goodbye, so she harbours no resentment towards Holly.’ ‘ Read more & comment »

Watch this series’ first installement of the cheesy Xtra Factor, X In The City Of London, slot.

This week see Leon Jackson get a makeover in the Hope Singin Salon, including full body wax and tan! looks like fun…..not!

Fearne Cotton has been speaking about her joy at being offered the job as host of the X factor spin off show, Xtra Factor.

“It’s amazing fun. I love the auditions but I can’t wait to get into the studio,” Fearne told Hot Stars magazine. Read more & comment »

The Xtra Factor: The Winner’s Story has an exclusive access-all-areas pass to Leona Lewis in the week following her winning final. The show celebrates the new starlet’s journey from their first appearance at the auditions through to the highs and lows of Boot Camp, the Judges Houses and the Live Studio Shows, up to the tension and drama of the series finale.

ITV2 will be with Leona as she embarks on her exciting new found career and through her own personal video diary viewers can hear first hand how her life has changed: from showbiz parties to TV interviews, record company boardrooms to recording studios, fans, fame and of course fortune.

The cameras will also follow the winning act as they head home for the first time and with new exclusive interviews, ITV2 will hear from fellow contestants, celebrity supporters, the judges and the winner’s friends and family.

THE XTRA FACTOR: THE WINNER’S STORY 2006 airs on ITV2 on Sunday 24 December 9:00 PM to 10:00 PM

The X Factor 2006 mania continues on ITV2 with the final episode of The Xtra Factor: The Aftermath. Ben Shepherd continues to bring viewers the remaining juicy gossip surrounding one of pop culture’s most celebrated reality TV shows, as it comes to a close.

Once again this year, there will be no hiding place for the remaining lucky finalists. The all exposing cameras follow the contestants as they spend their last days living together in the X Factor house, attending their final press interviews and photo shoots as X Factor contestants.

Join ITV2 this week to learn of the tensions amongst the rival contestants and judges, as well as all of the juicy gossip on the lead up to the all important X Factor live grand finale.

THE XTRA FACTOR: THE AFTERMATH airs on ITV2 on

Thursday 21 December 8:00 PM to 9:00 PM

The Xtra Factor : 21:15, Saturday 16 September, 2006, ITV2

Ben Shephard is back with all the backstage gossip and unseen auditions, and gets the real low down from the contestants as they leave the judging room.

This Week The Xtra Factor features:

• Louis looking for love.

• An exorcist.

• The ’Ice’ Girls.

• 4th Base - 3rd time.

• The ultimate sacrifice.

• Belly Dancing Grannies.

The girl groups this week are trying all the tricks in the trade to try and wow Simon. First in is five piece act Georgia, made up of Maria, 18, Jean-Ann, 21, Lorna, 19 and Christine, 21. The girls have written their own ballad especially for Simon, and by the smile on his place they have impressed and get a definite yes from Simon and Louis.

Next up is female trio Neopolitan who are made up of ‘Chocolate’ Danielle, 23, ‘Strawberry’, Cheryl, 20 and ‘Vanilla’, Grace, 22 all from Stevenage. They think that their fruity flavours will be enough to impress the judges. But the judges are left in stitches as Simon tries to have a sensible conversation with Chocolate. He says ‘Your voice is the best but Strawberry you’re a bit weak!’

And it is not just the girls that are hoping to impress the judges. A boy band familiar to The X Factor viewers is 4th Base who are hoping that this will be their year. This is the third year running that the boys have auditioned for the series. In the first, the boys made it through to the Bootcamp stages, in the second they got to Simon’s Judges Homes stage but just missed out on the live stages of the competition when he chose 4Tune over the boys. Will it be third time lucky for them this year and will their tenacious attitude impress Simon enough to get them through to Bootcamp? Sharon says ‘You’ve definitely improved. Your harmonies are a lot better.’ Simon says ‘I have not idea of who you are. The danger is that you are doing what American vocal harmony groups do best. And you’re second best.’ Louis says yes, Simon says no but Sharon rescues them, gives them a yes and 4th Base are through to Bootcamp.

Is love in the air for Louis? He has been attracting a lot of attention from some of the older female contestants. To his acute embarrassment, Simon and Sharon tease him every time one walks in. The ladies have inventive ways of trying to attract the Irish lothario with seductive looks, dancing, blowing kisses and even flashing stockings! Sharon jokes ‘He just loves those older ladies. I’d better start looking out.’

Ben also meets bellydancing Joyce, 62 from Ayrshire. She tells Ben ‘I’m free to be me now and I’m ready for this.’ She tells Ben that her bellydancing comes naturally for her. She sings The Closest Thing To Crazy. Simon says ‘I thought we came into this competition to find an artist like Dido and then we met you Joyce’. And Louis tells her she looks like someone that you might see in Spain! ‘What I mean Joyce is that you’re different to anybody else and you’re very jolly and you’re full of life’. He puts her through. Simon says ‘As much as I adore you I’m going to say no.’ But Sharon uses her casting vote and puts her through to Bootcamp. Afterwards she says ‘I can’t wait to tell everyone in my home town who know me as a bit of a character so I think they’ll be very thrilled for me and also my family because not a person knows. I kept it quiet.’

Friends Scott and Rob think they have what it takes to impress the judges, and a recent incident has left them closer than ever before. Scott fell ill a couple of years ago and was in need of a kidney transplant. Despite testing on all his family, doctors couldn’t find a match and it looked like Scott would face a life time of dialysis. But then friend Rob asked the doctors to test him, and despite the million to one odds Rob was an exact match, and as a Christmas present offered Scott his kidney! They audition together and despite sharing organs their vocal talents just aren’t up to scratch and get a resounding no – but not before mooning at the Judges in protest!

19 yr old Thandie from Crewe has the judges, especially Sharon in stitches. Sharon bursts into fits of giggles as Thandie walks dressed in a tiara! The bubbly Thandie joins her and collapses laughing. ‘Come on let’s get on with it Taydy’ says Simon, getting Tandie’s name wrong and setting her and Sharon off again. She starts to sing but has to stop as she started to laugh again. ‘I started laughing and Sharon just started howling’ she explained afterwards. Simon suggests that Thandie brings in her grandmother Hazel into the audition room who tells her to calm down. This time round, Sharon keeps a straight face and Thandie goes thought to Bootcamp.

Last in the room is Christina Aguilera’s number one fan Nicola, ‘My idol is Christina Aguilera. She’s so brilliant’. She’s sure that the Judges will be blown away by her voice as she sings Keep Singing My Song by her heroine. She sounds like Christina and Sharon says ‘Why would we want another Christina Aguilera when we’ve got her. You’re just doing an impersonation.’ Simon agrees. ‘It was Stars In Their Eyes. Absolutely copycat.’ Simon suggests that she goes to some sort of exorcist and get Christina out. So ITV2 comes to the rescue to cure her!