Eoghan Quigg always thought it was "unlikely" that his 'X Factor' fame would last.
Eoghan Quigg competed on The X Factor in 2008
The 31-year-old singer finished in third place on the 2008 series of the ITV1 music competition and released a self-titled album the following year but has not released anything new in almost a decade and admitted he just "enjoyed the experience" for what it was at the time.
He told Metro.co.uk: "People still recognise me from 'The X Factor' now and want to ask questions about it. I guess I did something right if people are still remembering the series. "
"When everything died down, I didn’t mind, it was always unlikely that it would last forever. I’m glad I kept my feet on the ground and just enjoyed it for what it was."
Eoghan - who finished behind boy band JLS and eventual winner Alexandra Burke on the series - went on to recall that his parents paid for his flight to the initial audition and that it had lasted a lot longer than he initially expected.
He added: "I’d never even left Ireland before, or been on a plane but I went across to Glasgow for my audition in front of the producers. My family had to pay as X Factor didn’t cover costs until later in the competition.
"I remember that day clearly. I thought it would be an hour and then I’d go home but it was an all-day thing. There was so much waiting about. I was a teenager so I was just tired and hungry, but then when I got in the room it was amazing.
"I remember thinking the judges looked really big as I’d only seen them on the TV screen, and that there were so many lights and cameras.
"Watching it back, I was annoyed as they made it look like Simon cut me off but that’s not what happened! I just performed two songs for them on request
Tagged in Alexandra Burke The X Factor Simon Cowell