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Teen Contestant Competes Against Her Boyfriend — Are They Still Together?

Emily Middlemas first auditioned for The X Factor when she was 15 years old in 2014. She made it to the Judges Houses before being cut from the competition by mentor Cheryl. She returned to the show in 2016 for a second chance at the age of 17 this time with her boyfriend. How did she do the second time around?

Simon Cowell Gave Emily Middlemas A Second Chance On ‘The X Factor’

Emily admitted that she was “devastated” the first time she was eliminated from the competition. But she understood that she could improve and took all of the advice that Cheryl gave her. This time around Emily sang “Master Blaster (Jammin’)” by Stevie Wonder.”

“Emily I love your attitude, you’re 17, you’ve got a knockback, you’re fighting and you know your music as well,” judge Louis Walsh said. “Very few kids would come in at 17 and sing a Stevie Wonder song and sing it their way.”

SEE ALSO: SIMON COWELL CALLS THIS ‘X FACTOR’ AUDITION THE BEST HE’S EVER SEEN [VIDEO]

“I didn’t get to meet you a few years ago because Simon didn’t have me back but I’m entranced by you,” Nicole Scherzinger said. “I find you mesmerizing, I think you’re a little find.”

“You know what Emily, it does take guts to come back,” Simon Cowell said. “You got that close but I think I’m beginning to know who Emily is and I like you more.” The judges all voted her through to the Bootcamp stage of the competition. Though her performance was not shown, she moved on to the Six-Chair Challenge and through to the Judges Houses where she was this time mentored by Simon.

She Competed Against Her Boyfriend On The Show

Emily was chosen to go to the Live Shows where she became a fan-favorite of the audience and the judges. In the Live Shows, she adorably opened up about competing against her boyfriend on the show. She was in a relationship with fellow contestant Ryan Lawrie. They began dating nearly a year before she auditioned for the show a second time.

Ryan finished the competition in sixth place. In week nine after Emily performed “Mad World”, she was Simon’s last artist remaining in the competition. She was unfortunately eliminated after landing in the bottom two with Matt Terry. She finished the competition in fourth place. After Emily and Ryan were both eliminated from the show, they continued their relationship on the outside.

“He knows me inside out and he’s the only person that really knows every single thing about me and I know every single thing about him, so we’re super strong and I really don’t see anything happening or anything breaking us up,” she told The Sun.

Emily was asked if Simon would be invited to their future wedding which of course she said that his name would appear on the guest list. “He was really supportive of me and Ryan and said to me that he thinks Ryan is a really nice boy,” she said. And it appears they are still together after she wished him a happy birthday on Instagram this year.

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Where Is Emily Middlemas Now?

Emily also went through a major transformation and says she feels “more mature and like a woman rather than a little girl.” She like many young contestants who rose to fame on talent competition shows do not want to be put into a box for being super young when they auditioned. “I want to be viewed as a grown-up rather than a cute little girl who doesn’t know what she’s doing” she continued. She has since changed her professional name to Ili.

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SEE ALSO: SINGER RETURNS FOR A SECOND CHANCE TO IMPRESS SIMON COWELL — MAJOR FIGHT WAS NOT IN HER PLAN! [VIDEO]

Emily released her first single called “Lost and Found” in 2017 before releasing her debut EP, Changes in 2019.