Simon Cowell has revealed he is a secret fan of Stacey Solomon and thinks she will make it the finals of X Factor.

The music mogul and X Factor judge made the comments exclusively to the JC at the Norwood annual dinner this week.

Mr Cowell, 50, said: “I like Stacey. She’s a sweetheart. She’s a nice girl with a good voice and she’s getting better. She’s going to be in the final.

“She’s my favourite act after my own acts.”

Former King Solomon pupil Stacey, 20, will be surprised at the comments fromMr Cowell who has criticised her performances in the past.

But on Saturday she wowed the audience with her rendition of Queen’s Who Wants To Live Forever and even impressed Queen’s guitarist Brian May and drummer Roger Taylor, who named her as their favourite.

More than 14 million people tuned in on Sunday to watch Stacey, the only girl remaining on the show, get through to the latest round. Odds against her winning are now down to 3-1, with three four-figure bets being placed immediately after Sunday’s show.