Former host of The X Factor, Dermot O’Leary, has defended the series after numerous contestants slammed the show for not “treating them well.”
In recent years, a number of past participants, including Jedward, Rebecca Ferguson, Cher Loyd, and Katie Waissel, have publicly criticised the show.
The former host, on the other hand, thinks the show “treated people really well.”
Speaking to The Sunday Times, the presenter said: “If there is a duty of care to be looked at, it’s what happens afterwards.”
“But in my experience, it was always taken seriously on the show — and would be even more thorough now,” he added.
“If the show was made now, it’d be made differently,” Dermott admitted as he continued: “The culture is different, but it was pretty much always celebratory. Look, not everyone on the show is going to knock it out of the park.”
“Not everyone is going to have the best experience. But most of the people we had on were treated really well, and a lot of people who have talked negatively about their experiences are talking about what happened after they left.”
“I think 99 out of 100 actually missed the show — they missed the bubble. So if there is a duty of care to be looked at, it’s what happens afterward,” Dermot stated.
Speaking about the sad death of Liam Payne late last year, and how an industry-wide conversation needs to be had, Dermot said: “Duty of care is the most important thing when doing shows like this and I wouldn’t dare to presume to speak for everyone. But in my experience, it was always taken seriously on the show — and would be even more thorough now.”
A spokesperson for The X Factor told MailOnline after Matt Terry spoke out about the “lack of support” he felt: “We take the welfare of everyone involved in our shows extremely seriously and during Matt’s time on the show in 2016, there were robust measures in place to ensure everyone involved in the making of the programme was supported throughout their experience and beyond.”
“Including a dedicated welfare team made up of psychologists, doctors, welfare producers and independent legal and management advisors with no time limit on aftercare once the show had aired,” the spokesperson continued.
“These measures were under constant review, and we have always been proactive in adapting and updating them for future series to reflect the requirements of the show.”
Matt previously told MailOnline of his experience on the show: “If X Factor comes back, I just hope they put some sort of psychological moment in for people. There are people who have come years before me, that are still confused and struggle with their identity.”
He continued: “For me it felt like I’d finished the show, and off you go into the big wide world, on your own. There was no support, and I just didn’t realise it.”
“When I came off the show, it changed my life, and it opened many doors, but I struggled definitely. Afterwards, there wasn’t anyone there to help me.”
“I’m grateful that I’ve got a good set of friends and solid family, which is lucky because not everybody has that, to say, ‘You’re human, you’re fine, you’re not just an X Factor winner, but you’re also Matt Terry, the person.'”
