Leona Lewis [antikvár]

THE JOURNEY BEGINS 'Tonight eight million people have voted and here's the result. The winner of The X Factor 2006 is Leonal' I covered my face with my hands and bowed my head, trying to take in what I had just heard. Could it really be true? I just couldn't believe it. Ray Quinn, the runner-up, was standing beside me; suddenly he gave me a big hug and lifted me into the air. Simon Cowell rushed up on stage and threw his arms around us. Then Kate Thornton announced that I was the first woman ever to win The XFactor. But still it didn't sink in. Had I really won? 'As the winner of that one million pound recording contract, Leona, you're now a bona fide superstar pop star,' Kate said, a little while later. 'How are you feeling?' I didn't know what to say. How could I express all the different emotions I was experiencing? I was shocked, relieved, grateful, over the moon and desperate for a hug from my mum. So many different thoughts and feelings were rushing through my head as I looked out at the audience. People were on their feet applauding me and shouting my name; it was unbelievable, just unreal. KateThornton's words swirled around my head. A record contracti After years of waiting and hoping, finally I had a record contracti Searching for my parents' faces in the crowd, I saw them waving madly in my direction.Then I looked over at Simon Cowell and he beamed a smile back at me. I felt dizzy with happiness. It was such a surprise to win. It was incredible! I hadn't expected it at all. In the beginning, I didn't even think that I would get through the first audition, so I was amazed when I kept getting further and further. It was like living in a fairytale. I often felt like pinching myself to make sure it was really happening. As the weeks flew by, I didn't dare to believe that I might have a chance of winning, although I couldn't help dreaming, of course. And now it had actually happened! Close to tears but unable to stop smiling, out of breath and totally lost for words, all I managed to blurt out was, 'I'm speechless!' 'Well, while you try and find a few words, we've got a bit of a moment for you,' Kate continued. 'We're going to cross over now to the CD factory and Andi Peters, because your debut single is about to go into production. Andi!' My heart pounded as Andi Peters appeared on the monitor. 'Hey, it's a fantastic result. Congratulations, Leonal Well done. And this is it, the moment you've been waiting for all your life.'