Earlier it had been claimed that the rapper was romancing Zayn and Harry’s bandmate Liam Payne, after becoming close to him at bootcamp.

However X Factor sources have now told The News Of The World that Cher is in fact seeing Zayn Malik, also 17, after they became close at a party eight days ago.

so, you are probably expecting me to make this really good and interesting. i have been bullied my whole life, and i have never felt perfect or loved.

i never planned on loving because i never planned on living more.

A well-known scene has just played out on televisions across the country.

A much-loved parent was made to choose which of their three children to exalt.

It is set to continue tomorrow night, when the next instalment of the X Factor drama unfolds.

) and Zayn Malik are said to have defied Simon Cowell’s romance ban and struck up a relationship during their time on the show.

It was recently reported that 17 year old Cher was dating One Direction’s Harry Styles and insiders insisted that she was using the curly haired cutie to gain popularity and create newspaper headlines for herself.

Two offered honeyed words and matchless sentiment in what were ultimately flawed performances; the third attempted to get by on honesty, natural talent and the genuine demureness that comes with good, old-fashioned humility.

But it wasn't King Lear that we were watching, it was The X Factor, and we were searching not for a new monarch, but for the next singing sensation – at the very least, for this year's Christmas number one.