A star is born!

The 18-year-old, who sang End of the Road, came second in the viewers' poll, with 19.3 per cent of the vote.

He was beaten by Michelle, who came first with 31.4 per cent. Both Chris and Michelle will now go through to the finals, which start in four weeks' time.

After Chris's rendition of the BoyzIIMen song, judge Simon Cowell said the Lancing lad had tried too hard to copy the original recording, but added: "Well done. You've got a voice."

Speaking to the Herald before Saturday's live show, Chris said: "The support is just fantastic. The whole of Lancing is behind me 100 per cent and it's really great."

The former Boundstone Community College pupil added: "At the moment, I'm feeling fine. I'm trying not to think about it too much. It's been a busy week and I'm just trying to calm down until Saturday.

"I've been doing music pretty much all my life and it's always been something I love. I sang from a young age as a choirboy.

"It's just gone on from there. I always thought of it as a career path I wanted to take."

Bookmakers Ladbrokes named Chris as the favourite to win the whole competition. Spokesman Warren Lush said: "Like Gareth Gates last year, punters seemed hooked on his angelic appeal."

See this week's Lancing Herald for the full story and picture.