James recently apologised live on the 'X Factor' for his use of homophobic language in a rap and recent outbursts on social media, which included a spat with former pal Lucy Spraggan.
He told host Dermot O'Leary: "It's been an amazing year for me. There's been some amazing highs but also some lows.
"I've made some very silly mistakes. I want to thank 'The X Factor' for giving me this opportunity.
"I want to say sorry for abusing my position as an X Factor winner because I owe everything to this thing."
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Nicole and Alan Carr
Meanwhile, Nicole presented Alan Carr with the Best Comedy Entertainment Personality award at last night's British Comedy Awards.
Her appearance at the Awards comes ahead of the 'X Factor' final on Saturday, where - unlike last year - she will have no acts left to mentor through the showdown.
Nope, us neither. She lost us at full fat milk. Bonkers-o-metre rating: 5/5
(02 of07)
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There was only ever going to be one judge who actually got up on the desk following Rylan's Spice Girls medley in week six, and it sure as heck wasn't going to be Borelow. After dismounting the table, she exclaimed: "That was a Rylan spice explosion all up in this place because you didn't just spread love, you sprayed it all over that stage honey. Girl power."Bonkers-o-metre rating: 4/5 (credit:Rex)
(03 of07)
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We now snap our fingers twice at every word we say. It can get surprisingly annoying after a while, so we've been told....Bonkers-o-metre rating: 5/5
(04 of07)
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Nicole proved she can always be relied upon to put the effort in at a fancy dress party when she revisited her Pussycat Dolls past in Rylan' birthday bash dressed in a PVC basque and fishnets. Bonkers-o-metre rating: 3/5 (credit:Coalition)
(05 of07)
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Never let Nicole make you a dessert is the lesson we learnt from this.Bonkers-o-metre rating: 3/5
(06 of07)
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We were totes surprised that Nicole didn't opt for a vajazzle when she visited Amy Childs' salon with Rylan Clark. Bonkers-o-metre rating: 1/5 (credit:Rex)