Lucie Jones to be a model

The X Factor starlet has been signed up to a top modelling...

11:57 21 December 2009

X Factor contestant Lucie Jones has been signed up by a top modelling company.

The Welsh 19-year-old beauty made it into the finals of the ITV1 show before she was controversially voted off in week five to allow the out-of-tune Jedward twins to stay in the running.

While she lacked the X Factor, she caught the eye of talent scouts at Select Model Management - an agency which helped propel the careers of Stella Tennant and Agyness Deyn.

Chrissie Castagnetti, co-founder of Select, said: "We pride ourselves on being the best at identifying new faces and when we first saw Lucie we recognised that she had a great look.

"As her confidence grew week after week, and her personality came through, we knew that we wanted to work with her.

"2010 is an exciting time for Select with some fantastic campaigns to announce and new faces to watch out for so it's an exciting time for Lucie to be joining us.

"We're looking forward to unleashing her great potential."

The singer sensation will see her first professional photoshoot in the new year. If it all goes well, it should land her an extended modelling contract.

Jones said: "ItÂ’s been a brilliant year. I was very flattered to even be considered by Select.

"I love fashion, I love beauty and I love singing, so to be able to model alongside my music is the best Christmas present ever. I canÂ’t wait to get going next year."

After leaving The X Factor following her controversial loss over Jedward, Jones had complained that the outfits on the programme did not show the ‘real’ her.

She said: "Being on the show felt like being a kid in a dressing-up box. You can have any look but I guess the hardest thing is to go beyond that and find a style thatÂ’s really you."

After Jones was voted off, ITV chiefs received 3,000 complaints that the result had been a ‘fix’, after head judge Simon Cowell dropped his long-standing opposition to John and Edward Grimes, who were pulling in record viewing figures.