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He was an unlikely addition to the X Factor line-up. But Craig David stole the show when he performed as part of the two-part finale in London’s Wembley Arena on Saturday night.

The 34 year-old star – who first rose to fame in 1999 – generated a huge buzz, both online and in person, after delivering a near-flawless set.

The Southampton-born star joined hopefuls Reggie N Bollie, plus Fuse ODG, for an energetic performance of ‘Dangerous Love’ and ‘Re-Rewind’.

Wearing a white tracksuit ensemble, the R&B hit-maker looked handsome and fashionably urban as he took to the stage, delivering a rapid-fire, word-perfect rap.

Having clearly enjoyed himself, he took to Twitter to say: ‘So sick performing with Reggie N Bollie! Thank you so much!’.

Clearly, many of the viewers at home agreed – after the appearance sparked a flurry of comments on social media. One fan wrote: ‘This is magical – it could well win Reggie N Bollie the X Factor’, while another added: ‘There are no words…just in case I was undecided, that sealed the deal’.

Another managed to inject a little humour, too, saying: ‘They asked Craig David to perform on tomorrow night’s show but he said ‘no’ because he chills on Sunday’.

Not that his performance was the only celebrity duet of the night, of course.

Ben Haenow and Leona Lewis joined forced for a duet which saw them do a new song from his LP, plus her version of Cars.

The previous X Factor winners both gave a dramatic performance, although some said there was little chemistry between the pair.

Still, it paved the way for a hat-trick of duets with the finalists, which saw Che take to the stage with Rod Stewart to perform The First Cut Is The Deepest.

Raising screams from the live audience, Rod later revealed that the pair only managed to rehearse once – but joked ‘that’s all us professionals need’.

Dressed in sharp suits, the pair were evidently hoping to appeal to the more mature audience members.

However, the crooner vibe didn’t last for long.

Meanwhile, Louisa capped this with a rendition of And I’m Telling You with her mentor, Rita Ora, which nearly moved her to tears – despite the fact Sam Bailey performed it just two years earlier.

Clearly hoping her act will win the show, she told the presenters: ‘The only two people who have made this kind of impression in this competition are Leona and Louisa.’
Fleur East and Little Mix teamed up for the ultimate girl power performance of ‘Black Magic’ and ‘Sax’.