Olly murs

Olly Murs is one of The X Factor's most successful runners-up - since coming second on the show, Olly has worked hard to prove that he is more than a reality star.

Known for being a cheeky chap who likes to wear a trilby and pants that are a little on the tight side, Olly is taking the country by storm with a string of number ones and a fanbase to rival One Direction's, although he claims his fans aren't as obsessed.

The Essex boy has just confirmed that he will be collaborating with Flo Rida on his next single 'Troublemaker', due out in November - and here are ten facts about the singer to refresh your memory ahead of the hook-up.

1. Oliver Stanley Murs was born on May 14, 1984 in Witham, Essex. He has a minutely younger twin brother and a sister. He's a normal guy who finally got a break. "People relate to me, and I try to make songs that make people smile," he says.

2. In 2007, Olly appeared on the popular game show Deal or No Deal, where he took a banker's spanking and left with only £10. He has since returned for a celebrity edition, where he won just 50p for his chosen charity Brainwave. . 3. While working for a call centre, Olly decided to audition for The X Factor in 2009, despite being unsuccessful in the past. This time he made it through to the final where he was beaten by Joe McElderry; he has since returned to The X Factor presenting the ITV2 spinoff show The Xtra Factor alongside Caroline Flack.

4. Despite missing out on the X Factor contract, Olly signed a joint deal with Simon Cowell's record company Syco and Epic records. He penned and released his first album Olly Murs in 2010, and it reached number two in the UK charts and has since achieved a double platinum status. The album also featured Olly's first number one single 'Please Don't Let Me Go'.

5. Always up for a collaboration, Olly performed 'Angels' with Robbie Williams while he was a contestant on The X Factor, his single 'Heart Skips a Beat' featured Rizzle Kicks, and his next release 'Troublemaker' features Flo Rida. Rather more tongue-in-cheek, Olly performed 'Dance with Me Tonight' with the Muppets on his return to The X Factor.

6. Although The X Factor launched his career, Olly was keen to show he was a legitimate recording artist, saying that 2011 was musically the toughest year he'd had. Olly said he "worked hard" to get to where he wanted, adding: "You have to have ambition, talent and a business mind for where you want to go, you can have all the talent in the world, but if you're not going to work hard at it, it'll never come to you."

7. In 2012, Olly embarked on his first solo arena tour including dates at the O2, MEN Arena and Glasgow SECC. Olly was recorded on his tour for ITV reality show Life on Murs. Tickets for his 2013 UK arena tour went on sale in April 2012 following the release of his second album In Case You Didn't Know, which debuted at number one in the UK charts.

8. After achieving success in the UK, Olly embarked on a tour of the US with One Direction, where he performed as the band's opening act. He told BBC Breakfast that he was "hoping to become the sixth member". Olly went on to announce plans to release a US single and album.

9. Not one to be shy, Olly is open about his love life, confessing that he is "terrified" he won't find love and is "scraping around the barrel for a girlfriend". He has even hinted at an appearance on ITV show Take Me Out in a bid to find his perfect partner.

10. Olly is set to release his third UK album Right Place, Right Time on November 26, along with his biography Happy Days in October. He explained: "I hope this book will give you a behind-the-scenes view of my journey into a place where I finally found what had been missing in my life for all those years: music."

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