At just 18 he became the X Factor’s bad boy with his foul mouth, unbrushed hair and names of seven sexual partners tattooed on his bottom, which he proudly showed off to millions of viewers during his audition.
In 2011, Frankie Cocozza made an instant impact on the ITV talent competition and under the mentorship of Gary Barlow reached the live shows, before being axed for ‘boasting about cocaine-fuelled sex sessions’.
Still in his teens the singer issued an apologetic statement admitting his life had ‘gone out of control’, while Take That’s Gary said he was ‘hugely disappointed’ that Frankie ‘threw away an opportunity’.
Despite leaving the show in disgrace, Frankie cashed in on his fame with several reality TV stints and headline grabbing antics.
Yet he then fell out of the public eye and ended up working for £7.50 an hour on a building site job after years of hard partying and blowing £200,000 on booze.
Nowadays, Frankie lives a quiet life in – and has documented the star’s journey from reality show fodder to life Down Under.
At just 18, Frankie Cocozza, became the X Factor’s bad boy with his foul mouth, floppy hair and names of six sexual partners tattooed on his bum (pictured in 2011)
He has now made a new life for himself in and looks worlds away from his X Factor days with a clean cut style in snaps shared to his Instagram
Frankie was said to have been kicked off The X Factor after boasted about drug use in front of production staff.
He later confessed: ‘I’m a drug addict. Simple as that. I just am. I love cocaine. I’m sorry, I do.’
The singer provoked controversy throughout his time on the show and during an appearance on spin-off the Xtra Factor crudely claimed he had ‘banged’ Geordie Shore star Holly Hagan after the pair were snapped kissing.
He told hosts Olly Murs and the late Caroline Flack: ‘I met her… I banged her’, before putting his hand to his mouth and saying: ‘Sorry, I shouldn’t have said that’.
Holly was left mortified by the remark and told Daily Star years later: ‘Frankie was so famous at that moment in time, the bad boy of X Factor, the talking point of the nation and that night, my date’.
‘We all know what happened, yes, we had sex and we were pictured snogging outside of this apartment, the pictures ended up on the front cover of the Daily Star newspaper.
‘Yet I wasn’t prepared for what would happen that night, when Frankie was being interviewed live for The Xtra Factor.’
However a decade later in 2022, Frankie claimed that he was paid by the reality star and her management whopping £1,100 to stage the smooch.
In 2011, Frankie made an instant impact on the ITV talent competition and reached the live shows, before being axed for ‘boasting about cocaine-fuelled sex sessions’ to show staff
He was also forced to issue a hasty clarification about his bottom tattoo – which he previously claimed were names of sexual conquests – after the women denied sleeping with him
During an appearance on The James Smith Podcast he said: ‘Anyway, this lovely girl, and she is lovely, she’s a sweetheart and she goes, “Oh Frank, I’ve just been talking to my manager and, basically, he’s willing to give you £1500 in cash if we can have a photo outside getting off with each other”‘.
‘Are you winding me up? This is after week one on the X Factor. I haven’t earned a penny, right? £1500 was like, f***ing hell, mind blowing’.
He continued: ‘Go outside, this little ratty geezer turns up in this s****y little motor, he goes, “Here you go, I’ve only got £1100. I’ll give you £400 in a cheque”‘
Only to claim the cheque later bounced. have contacted Holly’s reps for comment.
Following his 2011 X Factor exit Frankie said in a statement: ‘I’d like to apologise to Gary, my fellow contestants and everyone who has voted for me, but, as of today, I will no longer be in the X Factor.
‘My life during the show has gone out of control and my behaviour off stage has over-stepped the rules of the competition. I no longer deserve my place in the show, so I am therefore leaving. I would like to thank everyone who has supported me.’
He was also forced to issue a hasty clarification about his tattoo and said the women simply visited the bar where he worked while they were on holiday in Crete, after they denied sleeping with him.
The women revealed that they agreed to have their names inked on his bottom as part of a drunken dare. The names belonged to two groups of Scottish students.
During an appearance on spin-off Xtra Factor he crudely claimed to have ‘banged’ Geordie Shore star Holly Hagan – after they were spotted kissing (Holly pictured 2012)
Riding high on his new found fame, Frankie then landed a reported £30,000 payday in 2011 to appear in Celebrity Big Brother (pictured)
And following his claims on the X Factor many of them were forced to call family and boyfriends to reassure them that they had not had sex with the contestant.
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Natasha Hendry, Emma Dodds, Cara Dolan and Roxanne Fowler from West Calder, near Edinburgh, were inked on one cheek and Rachel Cathro, Jenna Robb and Ailsa Kane, from Dundee, on the other.
Roxanne told at the time: ‘We never would have done it if we thought he was going to show the whole world. It’s horrible to think people would believe any of us – or even all four – slept with him.’
He went on to have limited success as a solo artist before forming short-lived pop rock band The Telescreen.
The band have not be active since 2015 and Frankie has not released music in years, despite fans’ pleas, but still describes himself as a ‘musician’.
Riding high on his new found fame, Frankie then landed a reported £30,000 payday in 2011 to appear in Celebrity Big Brother, and finished in a respectable second place behind Denise Welch.
He then appeared on Celebs Go Dating in 2017 alongside Charlotte Dawson and the couple dated only for the relationship to quickly fizzle out soon after filming ended.
The daughter of the late Les Dawson slammed the singer following their split, claiming she was ‘used’ to get more airtime.
He then appeared on Celebs Go Dating in 2017 alongside Charlotte Dawson (pictured together) and the couple dated only for the relationship to quickly fizzle out soon after filming ended
She told Star magazine: ‘I don’t speak to him. We had a good connection – as you could see on Celebs Go Dating, it was very genuine and real.’
Yet revealing she feared he used her to play up for the cameras, Charlotte added: ‘I didn’t have him down for being a showman type of person, so it was a shock. It was horrible.’
Despite adding that Frankie was ‘an idiot’ and ‘stupid’, Charlotte admitted that she still had a soft spot for the X Factor star.
‘If I saw him tomorrow, we’d probably end up sleeping together,’ she admitted, ‘then I’d probably tell him to f**k off!’
Frankie admitted he was determined to get back to work after being left in the showbiz wilderness and needing funds to support himself.
He told The Mirror in 2017: ‘I love being on the building site. I get so much grief, but its a crease up. I knock up pug (mortar mix) for the plasterers. It’s fun. It gives me a reason to get up in the morning’.
The star also made the startling revelation that he spent a mammoth £200,000 on booze, but after a feckless spending spree, was left with just £5 in the bank.
He said: ‘I didn’t think it was going to end. I spent it all on Fred Perry and booze – among other things I won’t say’.
He has now made a new life for himself in but still describes himself as a ‘singer’ on his Instagram bio
Frankie is dating lingerie model Emma Stubbs (pictured together) following his split from wife Bianca Murphy
Frankie and ex Bianca, who separated in 2022 after four years together, met shortly after Frankie moved down under (pictured together)
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But the singer revealed he had gone through incredibly dark times, including the deaths of his beloved aunt Helen Cope from cancer and best friend Connor Saunders, 19, who was killed in an unprovoked attack.
He said he blotted out his grief with alcohol and sank into depression, saying ‘ I covered it up by getting off my nut, which inevitably makes it worse’.
He has now made a new life for himself in and looks worlds away from his X Factor days with a clean cut style in snaps shared to his Instagram.
Frankie is now dating lingerie model Emma Stubbs.
He shared regular updates to his social media while living his best life down under and despite not releasing new music in almost a decade, his profile lists him as a musician.
Prior to this, he was married to Bianca Murphy – with whom he shares six-year-old son Frankie Jr.
Frankie and ex Bianca, who separated in 2022 after four years together, met shortly after Frankie moved down under. They tied the knot in May 2018 back in Brighton and the following year welcomed their son.
The Sun reported that Frankie and Bianca remain on amicable terms for the sake of their Frankie Jr, with a source saying: ‘Frankie and Bianca were madly in love but things just fizzled out over time.
‘They have remained on good terms for the sake of their son, Frankie Jr, but have both moved on.’