James Arthur says he was left to his own devices too much after 'X Factor' machine

Former X Factor winner James Arthur has complained that he was left to make too many of his own choices after being spat out by the reality show machine, leading to some dodgy decisions.

The Impossible singer won the TV contest in 2012, but told Metro that he had been left on his own too much after his victory and not given enough career guidance.

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He said: "I’ve been left to my own devices too much. I went through the X Factor machine and then was living in a flat in London all of a sudden. That’s where I look back and think I should have had more people around me. Not to say people weren’t reaching out."

Arthur, 33, said that he looked back with regret on some of the panicked decisions that he had made as he grappled with his new-found fame.

He said: "If I could give that guy some advice, I would say 'let people help you'. I navigated this whole game by myself… being led to do things I didn’t want to do but thought I had to do to keep me relevant or validated. Career choices were made that don’t agree with my sensibilities."

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At one point in 2013, Arthur's management company had to take over his Twitter account after a number of online spats with celebrities over his use of a homophobic slur in a rap battle, and the following year X Factor boss Simon Cowell dropped him from label Syco over song lyrics referencing terrorism.

He relaunched his music career in 2016 with his second number one single, Say You Won't Let Go.

Arthur added that "life is a lot simpler now" as he doesn't live in London and doesn't have to travel to the city for meetings any more.

Watch: James Arthur regrets how he's treated girls in the past