Former X Factor runner up Andy Abraham has spoken of the ‘uphill struggle’ he faced after finishing second in the show’s 2005 series.

Abraham was dropped by his record label after releasing his second album and though he is still working in the industry, he admits it was hard to succeed once the X Factor fever passed.

Abraham issued a warning to other losers saying: “They’ll realise quickly that the industry doesn’t want them.

“You’ve got to understand that the only reason your first single gets to number one is the X Factor brand, and when the costs are all added up, you don’t make any money out of it. Once the show moves on it’s an uphill struggle.”

However, Andy Pemberton of fellow 2005 act Journey South insisted that he would “never say anything bad about X Factor”.

“We make four or five times what I was making as an electrician. If it wasn’t for that show me and Carl would still be playing gigs in horrible pubs with our mum and dad sat there,” he added.