Thursday, 27 December 2007

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Bust-up with mum made Leon Jackson audition for The X Factor

18-year-old wanted to prove he wasn't a waster

A huge argument with mum Wendy gave Leon Jackson the courage to audition for The X Factor.

Just weeks before he first performed for Simon Cowell in the summer, the Gap shop assistant stormed out of his home in West Lothian, Scotland.

'Leon's row with his mum was a turning point,' pal Gavin Murphy tells the Sunday Mirror.

'He told me his mum wanted him to go to college and get a proper job.'

The 18-year-old, whose dad walked out when he was 2, spent 2 nights sleeping rough in his car, before being taken in by friends.

He was determined to find out if he had talent and set off for The X Factor audition alone.

'I live with my mum who's a single parent. She's supported me all my life but no disrespect to my mum... she just thinks that me trying to pursue a singing career is a bit far-fetched,' Leon told Dermot O'Leary.

When he got the thumbs-up from the judges, he phoned Wendy, who was as excited as her son. Now they're totally reconciled.

As soon as he has the cash, 18-year-old Leon wants to buy her a big house.

'I want her to have her own front door and a garden,' he says. 'It will be big enough so she can vacuum whatever time of night she wants.'