Paul Akister has joined the X Factor tour as a guest star when the show hits Manchester it has been revealed.
Paul Akister / Credit: ITV
Following a plea from his mentor on the series Melanie Brown, the other judges agreed that he should be given the opportunity to appear and perform live on the tour.
After coming ninth in the show he was booted following a sing-off against Simon Cowell's act Jay James, and though that usually would mean his X Factor journey ends there, he's back for one city only.
Speaking of joining the tour, Paul said: "I'm so excited to be part of The X Factor Live Tour. Performing in my hometown arena is a dream come true and I cannot wait to see everyone again."
As one of the most successful annual arena tours in the UK in the past decade, this year's X Factor tour kicks off in Belfast on February 13 before travelling to Aberdeen, Bournemouth, Birmingham, Brighton, Cardiff, Dublin, Glasgow, Leeds, Liverpool, London, Manchester, Newcastle, Nottingham and Sheffield.
Full tour dates are as follows:
February
Friday February 13th Belfast Odyssey Arena
Sunday February 15th 3 Arena Dublin
Wednesday February 18th Bournemouth BIC
Thursday February 19th Bournemouth BIC
Friday February 20th Manchester Arena
Saturday February 21st Manchester Arena (MATINEE)
Sunday February 22nd Nottingham Capital FM Arena
Thursday February 26th Newcastle Metro Arena
Friday February 27th Glasgow The SSE Hydro
Saturday February 28th Glasgow The SSE Hydro (MATINEE)
March
Sunday March 1st Aberdeen GE Arena (AECC) (MATINEE AND EVENING)
Thursday 5th March Sheffield Motorpoint Arena
Saturday March 7th Leeds First Direct Arena
Sunday March 8th Liverpool Echo Arena
Monday March 9th Cardiff Motorpoint Arena
Tuesday March 10th Cardiff Motorpoint Arena
Wednesday March 11th Cardiff Motorpoint Arena
Thursday March 12th London The SSE Arena, Wembley
Saturday March 14th Birmingham LG Arena (MATINEE AND EVENING SHOW)
Monday March 16th Brighton Centre
Tuesday March 17th Brighton Centre
Friday March 20th London The O2
Saturday March 21st London The O2 (MATINEE AND EVENING SHOW)
Tagged in The X Factor