The X Factor 2016: Saara Aalto was AHEAD of winner Matt Terry until the very last minute
MATT TERRY might have been crowned this year’s winner of the X Factor but it has been revealed that until last night, he was set to be runner up.
Saara Aalto was ahead on Matt Terry on Saturday night's show
Xtra Factor reveals Matt Terry dominated the public vote
Last night’s gripping final saw over 6.4 million votes cast for the winner and ITV have now released the voting stats from this year’s competition.
Although Matt was the most popular from the start, results showed that Finland-native singer Saara Aalto had a dramatic turn-around.
She pipped the 23-year-old to the post in the lead up to the final and was on track to win the X Factor after receiving more votes than her rival on Saturday night's show.
Saara, 29, became extremely popular in the last few weeks after she sang Bjork’s hit single It’s Oh So Quiet after being in the bottom three for the first two weeks running.
Matt Terry was crowned this year's X Factor winner
Matt hugged Nicole Scherzinger when he found out he won the show
What I promise you Matt is that we will give you 100 per cent
But Matt was victorious after he received 48% of the vote on Sunday night which was 8% more than his competitor.
X Factor stats also show that Honey G received a minimal amount of votes each week and never came within the top three.
Meanwhile, Matt will be celebrating his new success with the release his debut single When Christmas Comes Around, which was written by Ed Sheeran.
When Dermot O’Leary announced the result, the Kent star collapsed to the floor and said: "Oh my god."
Saara Aalto was ahead of Matt Terry in the vote on Saturday night
Simon Cowell had a few words for the winner: ”You came into this final as good artists, you've left as great artists.
"What I promise you Matt is that we will give you 100 per cent."
On last night’s show fans were treated with performances by Little Mix featuring Charlie Puth, Kylie Minogue and Madness.
The X Factor returns to ITV in 2017.