X Factor presenter Dermot O’Leary is one of the most popular and successful men on TV. So how did an ordinary Essex boy get so lucky - and what is Simon Cowell like as a boss?
O’Leary presents one of the most loved and loathed shows on television. About to crank up for its ninth season this weekend, The X Factor attracts well over 10 million viewers who tune in to gawp at its double freak show. On the judging panel the frocks and squabbles get more baroque each year, while the contestants seem increasingly chosen for their ability to generate tabloid headlines rather than for their mastery of Beyoncé covers.
