Tulisa Contostavlos

Tulisa Contostavlos first entered the public sphere as a member of N-Dubz in 2007. The group (Tulisa, her cousin Dappy and friend Fazer) all hail from Camden in North London and their music reflected their tough, poverty-stricken childhoods. The group would achieve ten UK top 40 singles but split in late 2011.

In 2011, Tulisa was announced as part of the new X Factor judging panel and became mentor for the 'Groups' category. Her final group Little Mix went on to win the eighth series, the first group to do so in X Factor history.

In 2012, a sex tape featuring her and an unseen man spread across the internet. After attempts to legally block the tape failed, Tulisa released a video confirming the tape as real and identifying the mystery gentleman as ex-boyfriend MC Ultra, who she is now suing for releasing the video.

Following the scandal, Tulisa was assured her place on The X Factor was safe and has since released the first single off her first solo album Young.