Cher Lloyd has left the X Factor in fourth place.

The 17-year-old beat around 200,000 other hopefuls to not only get to the live shows but to the finals of the competition, with an audience of millions.

For weeks the voting public has kept Cher in the contest and she’s seen off 12 other acts on her way to this weekend’s final, with the winner receiving a £1m recording contract. But tonight wasn’t to be her night.

The Malvern Link youngster sang three songs, one of which was with Black Eyed Peas star Will.i.am, but pitched against strong competition from Matt Cardle, Rebecca Fergusson and boy band One Direction, her renditions weren’t enough to see her through to the last three acts with the finalé being shown tomorrow on ITV.

Cher’s unique ‘rap’ style of performance has proved controversial throughout the competition and her huge fan base has been matched by those who haven’t been scared to voice their negative opinions about her.

Dozens of pro-Cher and anti-Cher Facebook pages have been set up and social networking sites have been buzzing with talk about her.

The pressure had taken it’s toll, however, with tears on stage and reports of backstage spats as Cher struggled to cope with the constant attention.

Despite this hundreds of fans braved many hours in sub-zero temperatures on Tuesday when she came home to see her family, accompanied by mentor and judge Cheryl Cole who first found fame with girl band Girls Aloud.

She also performed a handful of songs for a crowd at the Three Counties Showground, footage of which was shown on tonight’s X Factor show (click here for more). The venue was also featured live on the programme tonight, where hundreds of fans had gathered to show their support alongside Radio One DJ Scott Mills.

At a press conference earlier this week Cher predicted her own departure from the show, saying: “I know I’m not going to win it, come on, I'm the rapper.”

She looked resigned to her fate on the show, but – if the strength of her online support is anything to go by – things are far from finished for the young performer.

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