Christopher Maloney is convinced he can win this series of The X Factor, now that Ella Henderson is out of the running.
The former cruise ship entertainer is preparing to perform in this weekend's quarter finals and explained to The Mirror that he now has the confidence to give winning his best shot.
He said: "I go out week after week and all I get is bad comments, but it's so close to the final now I could win. I'm working harder than any other contestant probably ever in the competition".
Chris has received a torrent of abuse from both the judges and the public over recent weeks, with death threats on Twitter forcing him to close down his account.
But if the 34-year-old-wins, it will cause serious headaches for Simon Cowell and the rest of the show's producers, who are apparently concerned that a victory for Chris will damage the credibility of the show.
A source from the show said: "There are concerns over whether Chris would - to quote Louis Walsh - be able to be an international recording artist. In the end it's up to the public. They need to vote for their favourite and not presume they will get through automatically."