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X Factor 2014 results: Jay James eliminated as Band Aid 30 single debuts

Stevi Ritchie was saved by the judges for being a better entertainer

Jess Denham
Sunday 16 November 2014 21:58 GMT
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Jay James has left The X Factor following a sing-off with Stevi Ritchie
Jay James has left The X Factor following a sing-off with Stevi Ritchie (Corbis)

Jay James has left The X Factor following a sing-off with Stevi Ritchie, after finding himself in the bottom two once again.

Jay, who last night performed "New York" by Frank Sinatra, took to the stage first with his take on Keane's "Somewhere Only We Know", before Simon Cowell's BFF Stevi fought for his place in the competition with an energetic version of Queen's "Somebody To Love".

Ultimately, Jay was sent home, with the public deciding to save the better entertainer and the act the judges said they would "miss more".

Beside the hotly-awaited results themselves, the premiere of Band Aid 30's remake of "Do They Know It's Christmas?" proved a major highlight and sent Twitter into meltdown.

Organiser Sir Bob Geldof took to the stage to introduce it. "This thing could arrive here on the plane at any time," he said of Ebola, "the most anti-human disease".

"We can stop it and we will stop it and we will support the doctors and nurses who are going down there, and the government who are leading the world in this."

The new song's music video was then shown, with the lyrics altered to address the Ebola crisis. Bono's famous line, "Tonight thank god it's them instead of you" has been changed to "Tonight we're reaching out and touching you".

One Direction, Ed Sheeran, Rita Ora, Sam Smith, Paloma Faith, Chris Martin, Emeli Sande, Olly Murs, Ellie Goulding and Bastille are among the hosts of acts to offer their support to Geldof's campaign.

Earlier, Fleur East, Mel B's last remaining act Andrea Faustini and eight-piece boy band Stereo Kicks were announced as safe first, followed by Cheryl's last chance Lauren Platt and rocker Ben Haenow, who last night performed "Cry Me A River" by Michael Buble to a mixed response from the judges.

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Host Dermot O'Leary had kept up the results night tension by refusing to reveal the final act to make it through to next week until later on in the show.

The X Factor finalists opened the show with a group rendition of Taylor Swift's latest hit single "Shake It Off". Former Pussycat Doll and X Factor judge Nicole Scherzinger and 2009 contestant Olly Murs also performed.

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