Celebrity gossip: X Factor loser Katie Waissel ‘hasn’t heard from Cheryl Cole in ages’

Just a couple of months ago, not a day went by where Katie Waissel wasn’t plastered all over the celebrity gossip columns during her stint on the X Factor. Whether she was being controversially kept in the talent show due to dubious judging practices or speaking about her rumoured on/off relationship with fellow contestant Storm Lee, the pixie-like pop wannabe was everywhere. And that’s before you even think about the furore over her 81-year-old grandmother’s apparent choice of career as an escort.

However, things move quickly in the talent show world, and last year’s losers are fading fast – and will soon be completely forgotten when the new series of X Factor starts later this year. While show winner Matt Cardle is still surfing the crest of a wave after scoring the obligatory Christmas Number One with ‘When We Collide’, Waissel is one of the many contestants who are quickly fading back into obscurity. In a bid to drum up a final bit of publicity before returning to the shop floor – or, worse, a stint in panto in Grimsby – Katie has issued a plea to Cheryl Cole to get back in touch.

Posing for celebrity news magazine starring a Natalie Portman in Black Swan-themed shoot, Katie revealed she isn’t holding her breath for a response from the Girls Aloud singer and nation’s sweetheart. “'She's an artist herself, she had her Christmas break and I don't expect anything from her,” she said.

The 25-year-old also discussed her status as a hate figure during her time on the X Factor – a period she probably looks back on with more fondness than she’d like to admit now she can’t get arrested. don't know why I was so widely hated. At the end of the day it's a TV show - it's entertainment. The public hated me because they were told to. The power of editing is beautiful,” Katie argued.

While Katie’s star is fast fading a few of her fellow contestants are enjoying better fortunes. Cheesy boyband One Direction have apparently been offered a record contract by show supremo Simon Cowell, while rap brat Cher Lloyd has headed across the pond in an attempt to impress America’s urban music moguls.

The whole gang are set to hit the road later this month as part of the X Factor tour, with the likes of Rebecca Ferguson, Paije Richardson, Mary Byrne and ridiculous Wagner Fiuza-Carrilho (how many of them can you remember) all set to be on the bill. Will it be Katie’s last hurrah or the kick-start her career badly needs?