Dave Robson will always be grateful to X Factor Abi Alton and Luke Friend for ensuring his daughter's 18th birthday had the X Factor
Student in back seat with top X Factor star - There, if that headline didn’t grab your attention, nothing will!
Driving down the A1, heading to that there London Town, my mobile rang. When the caller’s name flashed up, the phone was quickly passed to the back seat, where daughter was celebrating her first day as an adult by listening to Disney Princess tunes.
If you read last week’s column, that probably doesn’t come as a surprise.
But what happened next ensured her 18th birthday was one she’d never forget.
Cast your minds back to X Factor and particularly tousle-haired heart-throb Luke Friend.
Daughter’s a big fan, so I hatched a cunning plan - but it meant drafting in a favour from Guisborough's Abi Alton.
View gallery Gallery: Abi Alton - after The X Factor
View gallery
I had the cheek to ask Abi - who I’ve interviewed a few times but met only once - whether she’d mind getting Luke to call my girl on her birthday. I hate calling in favours, but sometimes needs must! Besides, it’s not as if Abi’s too busy at the moment. Oh, apart from the 39-date, gruelling X Factor arena tour....and yet, bless her, she came up trumps.
As we drove along in the dark, a call from two X Factor contestants was the last thing on my mind. I’d been pushing my luck anyway. But no, it was Abi, phoning, incredibly, during the interval of their Nottingham Arena show.
I was tempted to chat with her myself, but to do so may have involved me breaking the law by not driving on hands free, losing concentration at the wheel and driving at 70mph into a ditch - which would have spoiled the mood somewhat. So instead, the phone was quickly passed to birthday girl - and the next couple of minutes were priceless.
Her brother, of course, didn’t believe it. “As if,” he sneered, dismissively, before hearing how the conversation progressed. Daughter’s face was, I’m sure, a picture, although of course I was keeping my eye on the road, as any responsible driver should.
Speaking to Abi and Luke left daughter, not surprisingly, shocked and a bit tongue-tied, although she did manage to tell Luke she loved him after he’d told her the same. And for a brief moment, I loved him too. Because whatever gifts our daughter had received suddenly mattered not - this was a moment money couldn’t buy.
Take a look back and think of famous people you’ve met. Were they delightful, or a huge disappointment? It stays with you.
Take Mrs R. Over the years, she’s stalked, sorry, met various footballers and most have been nice and friendly - she and fellow Norwegian Morten Gamst Pedersen of Blackburn Rovers, for example, embraced like long lost friends.
So dismiss TV talent shows if you like, but the people it produces can make dreams come true - or dash them.
They’re the moments you’ll never forget. And whatever the future holds for Abi and Luke, we’ll always be grateful to them for ensuring the day our girl turned 18 did, indeed, have the X Factor.
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