On Tuesday I found out that I had won tickets to see X Factor being recorded, thanks to TalkTalk. I was really rather excited. I have been a fan of the show for about five years, and this year is definitely one of my favourites so far. I called my very best friend, who lives not far from London, and it was a date! This was to be one of our first nights out together in about three years. Possibly more, so we were going to make the most of it! The problems I had with my hotel booking were sorted out on Friday afternoon, so I knew that we were going to stay in a hotel together, which meant we could see each other for longer.
I travelled down to London on Saturday lunchtime and made sure I got loads of university reading done on my way down. When I checked into the hotel, I settled down to do my nails. A luxury I get very little time for at home. I used Maybelline Colour Show Brocades, which is fabulously festive.
Then I got myself a cup of tea, relaxed and watched the rugby. I cannot begin to tell you how nice it was just to sit quietly and watch rugby. It so rarely happens that I get time to myself like this, so I really made the most of it.
When my mate arrived, she brought McDonalds, which I haven't eaten in absolutely yonks! We got ready very quickly and then tottered as fast as we could in heels to the studio, about five minutes down the road. We walked past the queue of people waiting to get in and went straight to the VIP entrance. We felt very lucky when we went upstairs and were offered food and a glass of wine. We shouldn't have had the McDonalds because there was no room left in my stomach for food!
We waited for about half an hour before we were guided into the studio. It was jam packed when we arrived and the production crew were running through last minute lighting routines and sound checks. Our seats were fabulous, and the woman next to us explained that if you are sitting near the front then you really can't see much at all. The only slight downer for me was the compere, who basically was mean to people or belittled them to get cheap laughs. It included making a large breasted woman jump up and down enthusiastically so he could get a cheap thrill. Not my idea of fun.
The performances from Sam Bailey and Luke Friend were simply outstanding. Sam Bailey gave me goosebumps when she sang. She really does have an amazing voice and is totally versatile. My best mate and I seemed to be the only people in the studio who knew the words to 'She's got that vibe' which Rough Copy sang. We were definitely showing our age! It was really interesting to see what happens in the ad breaks and to see the acts on stage waiting for their turn whilst their VT was playing.
When everything was finished, we went back to the Green Room and got ourselves a glass of wine before heading back to our hotel where a bottle of Prosecco was chilling in our room! We had a wonderful time and I would like to say thank you so much to TalkTalk for such a fabulous night. It really was an amazing experience and I am so pleased I could share it with my best mate.
I did a vlog on the night, so have a peek below if you want to see what went on.
Disclosure: I got these tickets courtesy of TalkTalk because I am a TalkTalk Ambassador. All opinions are my own and are honest and fair.
