September 27th, 2012 by Sarah Lynn.
Controversial X Factor wannabe Robbie Hance – who quit Boot Camp after forgetting the lyrics to Moves Like Jagger – has claimed that the show’s producers refused to give him £15 to buy food.
Robbie, who revealed during his first audition that he’s homeless and lives on the streets of London, told The Sun that his “key worker” on The X Factor said that giving him cash could be deemed as “favouritism.”
He said, “I was freezing cold and malnourished. I had been sleeping in parks and building sites and living on half a sandwich a day from one of the charity centres.
“I asked for £15 but I’d have taken anything for food. But my key worker — assigned before my first filmed audition — told me she couldn’t help because it wouldn’t be fair on the other contestants on the show.
“She said it would be favouritism. So I told her: ‘If you don’t help me now, I won’t make it to boot camp in Liverpool — I’ll be dead.’ The answer was still no…
“Every single time I asked for help the answer was the same, so I stopped asking.”
Robbie – who says he’s been homeless for six years – was entered for the ITV contest by a girlfriend who he later split from.
At his first audition, judge Tulisa told him, “I think you need to realise the potential you have and how good you are.”
Louis Walsh added, “I don’t think you have had a break in life and you absolutely deserve that.”
In last weekend’s X Factor shows we saw Robbie put down his microphone and leave the stage after he appeared to forget his words. However, he now says he DID know the lyrics, but didn’t sing them because “voices” in his head told him he wasn’t good enough.
He said, “I am sure I only made it through to boot camp because I told the crew I was homeless. That’s all anyone ever spoke to me about.
“No matter how badly my auditions went, they kept putting me through.
“In the four weeks between my audition and boot camp, my brain battered me about whether I should go back when someone else might deserve my place more.
“When I finally stepped on stage with Adam Burridge and Jake Quickenden, all I could hear was a voice telling me — ‘You don’t deserve this.’
“I knew the words of the song, but couldn’t sing them. I was sick of my stupid back story. So I walked out. But I’m sorry I let Adam and Jake down.”
He added, “I’ve always had jobs for a few weeks at a time. It was mainly bar work, because it’s the easiest to get.
“But now I can’t even do that. Thanks to X Factor everyone recognises me as a homeless thief and they won’t touch me with a barge pole.
“But I’d rather be homeless than have anything more to do with X Factor.”
Of Robbie’s claims, a show spokesman said, “While the contestants are in our care we enforce a fair and consistent policy on accommodation, travel and sustenance.
“The welfare of the contestants is always our priority.
“The judges decide which acts are put through to boot camp based on the strength of their performance and Robbie received four yeses.”
But while it seems Robbie’s lack of confidence affected his X Factor journey, the same can’t be said for singer Brad Shackleton, who’s “furious” that the show’s producers seemingly “ignored” him.
Brad, who made it through to Gary Barlow’s Judge’s House – though presumably not to the live shows, given he’s gone on to criticise the show – took to Twitter to moan about the lack of air time he was given during auditions and Boot Camp.
He wrote, “Gutted I’ve had no ITV1 airtime so far. Really sucks and simply not fair.”
Another tweet read, “Thanks! Feel so special #noairtime.”
Last night, an X Factor spokesman said, “Owing to the programme running time, it is not possible to show all of the contestants’ auditions.”
So there.
Source:
http://www.unrealitytv.co.uk/x-factor/x-factor-2012-robbie-hance-says-bosses-refused-to-give-him-15-for-food-and-brad-shackletons-furious-over-his-lack-of-air-time/