Hot favourite Joe McElderry won the coveted X Factor title and a life-changing record contract tonight.
The 18-year-old student from South Shields in the northeast of England won the eagerly-anticipated final of the hit ITV1 contest, beating Olly Murs in a public vote.
McElderry beat 200,000 applicants to The X Factor and more than 10 million public votes were cast.
He hugged his mentor Cheryl Cole and said: "I can't even speak, thank you so much everyone."
He added: "I can't actually speak and I just want to say thank you to Cheryl, she's been an amazing mentor."
He also thanked the other judges and everyone who voted for him.
Cole told him: "I feel over the moon, I'm absolutely delighted. The right person won. I'm so proud of you."
McElderry's single, The Climb, will be available for download from midnight and will be in shops on Wednesday.
