EXCLUSIVE: X Factor starlet Olivia Garcia talks about her amazing journey

By The Newsroom
Published 29th Sep 2016, 08:46 BST
Updated 5th Oct 2016, 14:15 BST
Olivia Garcia at Simon Cowell's pad in Malibu, California, during the Judges' Houses stage of the X FactorOlivia Garcia at Simon Cowell's pad in Malibu, California, during the Judges' Houses stage of the X Factor
Olivia Garcia at Simon Cowell's pad in Malibu, California, during the Judges' Houses stage of the X Factor
From a singing role as Mary in the school nativity to being one step away from the live stages of the X Factor: it's been quite a six years for Olivia Garcia.

This weekend millions of ITV viewers will see how the Orrell 16-year-old fares in the Judges’ Houses stage of television’s most popular talent show.

Her six-day stay at chief judge and musical Svengali Simon Cowell’s luxury home in Malibu, California, has already been filmed.

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But of course the St John Rigby College student is sworn to secrecy over the outcome. We will just have to wait to see if Cowell - along with celebrity guest judges and former Spice Girls Emma Bunton and Mel B - decided if Olivia has what it takes to get to make the final 12 acts who are then eliminated one by one, week after week by a national phone vote until the December final.

Olivia Garcia, second left, with fellow X Factor contestants and Simon Cowell at the end of the X Factor Six Chair Challenge phaseOlivia Garcia, second left, with fellow X Factor contestants and Simon Cowell at the end of the X Factor Six Chair Challenge phase
Olivia Garcia, second left, with fellow X Factor contestants and Simon Cowell at the end of the X Factor Six Chair Challenge phase

Whatever the result though, Olivia says that she has already had a blast. Down to earth and with loyal support from parents Simon and Steph and 14-year-old sister Emily, she has clearly made the most of this high profile adventure and, come what may this weekend, it has given her incalculable experience in her quest to become a professional singer.

She said: “It has been just so amazing. I have learned so much in the last few months about the music industry, about singing, about how to cope with nerves from some of the best people in the business. It has been the experience of a lifetime.”

It’s easy to forget Olivia’s young age. Much of the audition and selection process for the X Factor went on in tandem with her GCSEs at Up Holland High School.

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Indeed she says that one reason why her first appearance before the famous quartet of judges - Cowell, Nicole Scherzinger, Sharon Osbourne and Louis Walsh - didn’t go as well as she hoped was because she had been revising for her history exam the following morning rather than rehearsing Alicia Keys’s Empire State of Mind.