SIMON COWELL - LEONA WINS X FACTOR

LEONA WINS X FACTOR

Leona Lewis has won the third series of The X Factor, becoming the first woman to triumph in the competition.

A 21-year-old receptionist from Hackney in east London, Leona won voting viewers over with her mix of shy modesty and an extraordinarily talented voice to beat 100,000 wannabe superstars to the X Factor title.

On hearing the news of her victory, a "speechless" Leona broke down in floods of tears as she was hugged by the show's runner-up, 17-year-old Ray Quinn.

"Thank you for voting for me. Thank you so much. This is a dream come true. You've all made my dreams come true," a starstruck Leona said.

Simon Cowell had warned throughout the series that a voting bloc of teenage girls tending to prefer young males to female artists threatened Leona's victory. Tonight he was full of beaming smiles, however, as raw talent won through in the end.

"I am possibly the most proudest person in the world right now. Whoever says shows like this don't produce talent – pfff," he said.

Defeated Ray was magnanimous in defeat, graciously congratulating his rival who beat him at the final post.

"I'm so happy for Leona. She's the first girl to win the X Factor – how about that?" he said.

Cowell congratulated Ray's efforts throughout the series, telling him he had "something special – the likeability factor".

The final plaudits belonged to Leona, however, whose debut single is already hotly tipped to top the Christmas charts. Production of the track, a cover of Kelly Clarkson's A Moment Like This, is already underway prior to its nationwide release on Wednesday.

With a £1 million recording contract now under her belt, Leona is, in the words of X Factor presenter Kate Thornton, truly a "bona fide superstar popstar".