Raquelle Gracie, member of X Factor girl band Hope, has revealed that the fact that her father served time behind bars, has only made her more determined to succeed in life.

Raquelle’s father was jailed for 9 years for a £45 million fraud. But he will not be hiding in the shadows and fully intends to cheer his daughter on during her first show tomorrow night.

Speaking to the Manchester Evening News Raquelle commented:

“It was a really difficult time that I had to cope with - that the whole family had to go through, and him too.”

“It’s definitely made me stronger. I can look back and see how strong my mum was for us, and my dad. So, yes, he definitely inspired me.”

“My dad is coming to the first live show and he says he’s very proud of me, so that makes me happy,” she says.

“When he was in prison we got to see him as much as we could. It was obviously upsetting for such a little girl, to see her dad like that.

“But he wrote to us religiously twice a week, so we never lost touch. He was always in our thoughts and has been so supportive and strong.”