X Factor - Rachel Hylton confesses all

Monday, 18 August 2008

Rachel Hylton certainly caught the attention of the whole country on Saturday night when she appeared on the X Factor. The 26-year-old single mother of five instantly became the hot favourite to follow in the footsteps of Leona Lewis and Leon Jackson.

Rachel Hylton's life is certainly going to change from the better. The former drug addict impressed all the X Factor judges with Simon Cowell telling her that her audition performance of the Amy Winehouse track 'You Know I'm No Good' was his favourite so far in the competition. The music mogul even told the young mum, "I absolutely love you. You are just fantastic."

To see photos of Rachel check out our X Factor Photo Gallery.

Despite only being twenty six Rachel has certainly done a lot - she has spoken of her addiction to drugs, how she turning to crime, went to prison, had under-age sex and lost three of her five children when they were taken into care.

Rachel has told reporters that her home life was stable but her life started to go wrong when she was expelled from two primary schools for violent behaviour.

She told the News of the World: "I would run away from home. I lost my virginity when I was 11 to a boy who lived next door. He was 14. I also had sex with older men. I became promiscuous and started to
run away more."

Rachel Hylton - pregnant aged 12

When she was twelve she became pregnant for the first time. Her boyfriend was a 28-year-old drug dealer who introduced her to crack and ecstasy. Social services put her in one foster home and her son in another.

When she was just fourteen she began a relationship with another drug dealer. This boyfriend was very abusive.

Rachel explained: "He introduced me to heroin. Mentally and physically, he used to torture me. He was a nasty piece of work."

She had another son when she was seventeen and he was taken into care. After her boyfriend dumped her she turned to crime to feed her habit.

She confessed: "I was a complete addict so I would shoplift, do muggings and commit street robberies."

Pregnant again in prison

When she was eighteen and pregnant she was sentenced to 18 months in Holloway Prison for attempted burglary. Her newborn daughter went staight into care when she was born.

Rachel couldn't keep clean when she left prison and soon found herself back inside. She then found out she was pregnant for the fourth time. She was determined to keep her new baby and turned her life around. She gave up drugs and went on to have another daughter.

Rachel is now a single mum and is determined to win the X Factor so she can give her kids a better life.

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Image Credit: ITV