X Factor winner Leon Jackson has admitted that he is dating Emily Biggs from girlgroup, Hope.

The pair met on last years show when Emily’s band Hope competed with Leon for the shows title.

“We are dating. It is a very recent thing so I’m sorry to break everybody’s heart,” Jackson told the Daily Record.

“We’ve been friends since the show and have always kept in touch. Now she lives quite near me so it’s great because we have got to really know each other,” said Jackson.

“We just thought we were good friends and thought, ‘Why not cross that line?’”

He added: “I’ve always thought she was pretty. It’s cool. It’s different. We just chill at each other’s flats and go to the cinema. Sometimes we go out into town and she drags me round the shops.”