TV

Olly Murs reveals he saw a therapist after embarrassing X Factor mistake

He admits he was plagued with self-doubt...

With a hugely successful career as a singer and TV personality, you’d think Olly Murs wouldn’t have a care in the world.

But the 34-year-old former talent show contestant has revealed that he visited a therapist after a blunder on live TV made him doubt himself.

Instagram @ollymurs
Olly is famous for his sunny persona (Credit: Instagram @ollymurs)

Read more: Cheryl to return to The X Factor to perform comeback single

Although he’s now a respected judge on The Voice, Essex-born Olly found fame on The X Factor and went on to co-host the show with Caroline Flack in 2015.

However, he left after just one year following a series of errors which blighted the show.

Now, he has opened up about the most embarrassing blunder, when he mixed up the judges scores and prematurely announced that contestant Monica Michael was going home – before the results of the public vote had been revealed.

Read more: The Voice UK announces major change for new series

Speaking to the Evening Standard newspaper, he revealed that he tried to laugh off the live mix-up, but the resulting backlash meant he eventually ended up in therapy.

He says: “The papers didn’t laugh it off; they made a massive deal about it. The media attention, and the social media aspect, upset me the most.

“They really tried to take me to the cleaners. They tried to make me lose my job over a silly, small mistake.”

Olly Murs The X Factor
Olly feels he wasn’t allowed to forget his mistake (Credit: ITV)

He continued: “And when I went back to singing, it made me overthink what I was doing: ‘I’m going to forget the lyrics, what I’m doing …’

“So that was something I needed to speak to a therapist about. And I’m not scared to admit that – that’s the stigma that men have.”

Olly also spoke to the therapist for other “life experiences”, no doubt including the 11-year estrangement from his own twin brother.

The Voice ITV
Olly is now a coach on The Voice (Credit: ITV)

Olly was not able to attend the wedding of his brother Ben due to The X Factor semi-final, and his brother never forgave him.

He told the newspaper: “If I’d have left the filming, I might not be sat here now. It was a decision I’m happy that I made. Yeah, looking back I haven’t got my twin brother around any more, which is a massive shame.”

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Helen Fear
TV Editor

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