Louis Tomlinson fights back tears as singer he helped returns to X Factor
The One Direction star also faced a former contestant who appeared in the show with him eight years ago.
Louis Tomlinson gulps back tears and becomes emotional as a former contestant returns to The X Factor for a second chance, a year after pulling out of the show.
Anthony Russell, a labourer from Liverpool, arrives for an audition in the second episode of the new series of the talent show, with One Direction star Tomlinson on the panel along with fellow newcomers Robbie and Ayda Williams, and show boss Simon Cowell.
Cowell tells the audience that Tomlinson reached out to help promising singer Russell last year – who performed with a black eye back then – when he quit the show for personal reasons.
Tomlinson says: “I don’t think I’ve seen someone do a first audition with a black eye, you stole my heart straight away.
“I really got to know you over the past year, and your family, and I think you’re a lovely, lovely guy.”
In a pre-recorded clip, Russell says: “I auditioned for X Factor last year and it was like fire.
