Beverley fails to make the X Factor grade

Singing schoolteacher Beverley Trotman failed to make the grade on Saturday night, getting the axe on X Factor.

The 38-year-old left the show after the judges reached a deadlock for the first time ever, and the public - who were given the casting vote - opted to keep girl band Hope.

The mother-of-two, from Luton, Beds, who sang Mariah Carey's Without You, put her exit down to the public voting and her age.

"I think unfortunately, people may have thought I was quite safe it seems, I don't know.

"When I came into it, I knew that it is geared to the younger people because, let's face it, they've got that longevity.

"I've got my family - and so my path is obviously different," she added.

Mrs Trotman reckons she is taking the shock better than her mentor Louis Walsh.

"He's really gutted, but I'm cool, I've had a really great time, I've had a good opportunity.

"I've sung great songs for the past six weeks and I think I've sung them really well, to the point that every megastar that's come onto the show, when they've been asked who was your favourite, they've all said my name. I can't ask for more than that."

But Mrs Trotman, who predicted Rhydian, Leon and Hope would all get into the final, vowed to keep singing.

"I don't know what the path will be, but what I will say is I'm ready to do anything. I feel I've really grown in this competition.

"I've got a lot to offer and the theatre is one option, maybe a record deal is another option, but these are all things that I'm happy to look at."

© Independent Television News Limited 2007. All rights reserved.