Mum of Midland-born X Factor contestant Layla Manoochehri hits back

Oct 10 2008 By Emma McKinney

Despite being kicked off the show, Layla soon found herself an agent and even performed on programme CD:UK, rubbing shoulders with Cheryl Cole, now an X Factor judge, and going on to work with Take That star Garry Barlow.

She thought her dreams of pop stardom were set to become realised when she was given a record deal in Germany, but it fell through when the boss behind the deal was jailed for fraud.

But then Layla, who has brothers Oliver, 18, Sam, 20, and Daniel, 25, was picked up by the same management team as boy band Blue, who she worked with as a backing singer on tour in Germany and Italy in 2004, which is when she found love with the group’s singer Simon Webbe, 29.

Since touring with Blue, Layla has gone on to star in the West End and write music, co-writing Lisa Stansfield’s Treat Me Like A Woman.

It was through her auditioning that she met fellow Girl Band members Marissa Billitteri, 20, from Bristol, and sisters Tita Lau, 20, and Pheobe Lau, 18, both from London.

They sang together for the first time a week before they auditioned for the X Facto but have so far impressed the judges and mentor Louis Walsh.

• X Factor is on ITV1 tonight at 7.15pm.