Marcus Collins has admitted that he has been inspired by the success of One Direction.

The 24 year old singer came second on last year’s series of The X Factor and explained that he finds it encouraging that the teenage boyband have become so successful and become known worldwide, when they also failed to win the ITV series back in 2010.

One Direction finished in third place, behind Rebecca Ferguson and Matt Cardle, when they competed on The X Factor, however they have since sold out tours in America, Canada, Australia and the UK.

In an interview with MTV, Collins admitted:

“It really does inspire me. The fact that they came from the show and they didn’t win and have still been as successful as they are is incredible. It’s really nice.”

Marcus has worked closely on his debut album and it’s singles with his former mentor Gary Barlow but soon the Take That star will be moving on to help a new batch of stars. He recently kicked off the auditions in Liverpool and London for the 2012 series and on whether he will be jealous of the new talent, Collins laughed:

“No, I don’t think I will be jealous, I’ll probably be on the phone asking him what they’re like. I’m gonna be supporting whoever he gets in his category all the way.

Meanwhile, it has been revealed that Louis Tomlinson is planning to invest some of the cash that he has made this year on his own home.

The 1D singer is said to be splashing out a whopping £2.5 million on a new love pad for himself and his girlfriend Eleanor Calder and insiders say the massive properties has four floors and every sort of luxury imaginable.

A source told The Sun: ‘Louis’ purchase may seem extravagant but it’s a safe investment.

‘He’s got his head screwed on so he will keep it in good nick.’

The house is said to be located in London, has a huge garden, six bedrooms, four reception rooms, five bathrooms and a swimming pool. It sounds like the perfect family home….we wonder if we will be hearing the patter of little feet some time soon.

We thought Harry Styles was being extravagant when he spent almost £600,000 on an apartment earlier this year….Looks like Louis is keen to be the lord of the manor!