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| Annastasia Baker |
“Annastasia spent a lot of money on her image and had poured time and effort into it. No father wants to hear his daughter being called a tranny, especially after everything she has been through with the show in the past.”
Mr Baker’s outburst comes at the end of a week in which the show has been hit by a series of rows over the mental welfare of contestants and the use of computer technology to tweak singers’ voices.
Last night more than 12 million fans were expected to watch Annastasia’s return. The single mother collapsed in 2008 while singing Gloria Estefan’s Everlasting Love in front of Cheryl Cole and was booted out.
The rejection turned her into an emotional wreck.
But yesterday viewers saw a brand new Annastasia – with a sleek, short, highlighted trendy hairstyle – blast out Tina Turner’s Proud Mary with new-found confidence and verve.
Her performance went down a storm with the other judges and the audience, but Simon told her: “This is like one of these terrible Tina Turner tribute acts. I’ve seen trannies do better versions.” Now Ian, 43, says he is concerned that blunt criticism could destroy his daughter’s confidence again.
He said: “I just want Annastasia to go the whole way this time and fulfil her dreams. She’s wanted this for so long and she deserves it.”
Speaking from his home in Croydon, Surrey, he said: “After Annastasia was on the show last time, the support came to a dead end.
“It was business as usual for the producers and judges, and they just moved on to finding a new star. They should have picked Annastasia up – not put her down in they way they did.
“The X Factor is the kind of show that can make or break you. You either go on and have a brilliant career, or alternatively it can destroy you. I just hope that this time around Annastasia is treated fairly on the show, and that she is looked after.” Annastasia had just given birth to a daughter, Nevaeh, now two, when she first auditioned.
"But while she appeared to sail through boot-camp with a series of stunning performances, the part-time waitress was secretly suffering from post-natal depression. Her boyfriend had left her to bring up Nevaeh – “Heaven” backwards – by herself.
SM Main IAN BAKER 450 (Pic:SM)
Father-of-four Ian, who is divorced from Annastasia’s mother Rosie, said: “She spent about three months dealing with the depression. Eventually she battled through it and got back on her feet again.”
Father-of-four Ian, who is divorced from Annastasia’s mother Rosie, said: “She spent about three months dealing with the depression. Eventually she battled through it and got back on her feet again.”
After two years of gigging at weddings and pubs, Ian says Annastasia finally plucked up the courage to audition again. And despite Simon’s criticism last night, he and fellow judges Louis and Cheryl put her through.
Simon has now ordered ALL contestants to undergo psychiatric testing following the outcry over another contestant, Shirlena Johnson. The talent guru decided that eccentric mother-of-one Shirl, 30, who wowed viewers last week with her version of Duffy’s Mercy, should be kicked out. He acted after it emerged she had mental health problems which the producers were not aware of, but the decision led to a backlash from many viewers.
