Former X Factor contestant Lucy Spraggan has revealed that she left the show when she was raped by a doorman in the hotel room she was staying in after partying with Rylan Clark during the show’s production in 2012.
Spraggan, aged just 20, scouted for the competition, has now spoken of how she felt ‘let down’ by ITV, explaining why she had to leave the show abruptly in a new memoir, Process: Finding My Way Through.
Previously a performing artist, the X Factor was the singer’s big break and she became the first contestant to sing her own song Last Night at her audition, which became the world’s fourth most watched video that year.
But after she endured three live shows, the brutal attack prevented her from continuing the show due to the strong side effects of Pep medication – a drug given to her by doctors that can prevent someone from contracting HIV.
The attack is believed to have occurred after fellow contestant Rylan Clark’s 25th birthday party, where staff and singers were given “free alcohol” – which ultimately resulted in Spraggan, now 31, falling unconscious.
Lucy Spraggan, now 31, has told how she was raped by a hotel doorman during the 2012 X Factor
Rylan Clark (left) caused Spraggan’s hotel door to lock as he left, meaning her attacker was tracked down by the keycard he entered with
Spraggan was scouted for the show at the age of 20 and survived the first three live shows before abruptly quit
She told the Guardian how a member of the production team escorted the singer back to the hotel from the Mayfair Mahiki nightclub, where a hotel porter offered to return Spraggan safely to her room.
But when the member of staff left her room, the doorman would have manually prevented the room from automatically locking.
She and Clark were reportedly sent to the hotel on Edgware Road, away from the Corinthia where the artists usually house the performers, with 24-hour security.
Spraggan described how she believed this was part of their “storyline” for the show, in which they were known for partying and staying out late.
Sometime later, Clark arrived back at the hotel and checked in with his co-contestant – crucial for making sure her door was locked before he put her to sleep.
This meant the doorman then had to use a traceable keycard to enter the room and commit the rape, she explained.
The next day, Spraggan woke up and immediately knew something was wrong.
She told the Guardian: ‘I woke up the next day with a feeling of sheer terror.
‘I don’t think I’ve ever felt such confusion since then. I knew I had been raped, but I couldn’t process it. So I put on my clothes and went on autopilot.’
After telling Clark, whom she describes as a fierce advocate for her, the production staff was informed and the police were called.
She was prescribed Pep, which if taken within the first 72 hours of sex can stop the spread of HIV – but it made her too sick to continue singing on the show.
Rylan and Lucy imagined leaving the movie studios during their X Factor appearance in 2012
Spraggan described waking up feeling an “immediate sense of dread.”
Simon Cowell said he is still in touch with Spraggan, whom he described as “one of the most authentic, talented and brave people I’ve ever met”
Now she’s frustrated with the lack of follow-up care she received leaving the competition, as while she reportedly received medical and financial support in the immediate aftermath, she says she had no post-trial support
Spraggan said she wanted to clarify why she suddenly quit the X Factor, but claims people involved with the show encouraged her not to.
Now she’s frustrated with the lack of follow-up care she received when she left the competition, because while she reportedly received medical and financial support in the immediate aftermath, she says she had no support after the trial.
She writes, “No one ever contacted me to ask if everything was okay. No one called or emailed when the trial was over and he was sentenced. No one offered me rehabilitation or ongoing mental health care. I was alone.’
The man behind the attack pleaded guilty at trial and was sentenced to ten years in prison, meaning the singer did not have to relive the trauma of the rape on the witness stand.
The X Factor boss Simon Cowell told the Guardian that what happened to Spraggan was “horrific and heartbreaking.”
He continued, “Although we met under tragic circumstances, a genuine friendship and mutual respect has developed between us. Lucy is one of the most genuine, talented and courageous people I’ve ever met.
“I have always supported her desire to tell her story and her efforts to create positive change.”
An ITV spokesperson said: ‘We have the deepest sympathy for Lucy and all she has endured as a result of this horrific ordeal. We commend her resilience and courage.
‘The X Factor was produced by Thames and Syco, who were primarily responsible for a duty of care towards all contributors to the programme.
‘ITV, as a commissioning broadcaster, is committed to having appropriate and robust oversight procedures in place to ensure that independent producers implement the correct processes to protect the mental health and wellbeing of participants.
“We continue to develop our own duty of care processes for programs we produce to ensure appropriate measures are in place to support contributors before, during and after filming. In such a harrowing event, the victim’s well-being and support always have the highest priority.’
A spokesperson for the production company behind the show, Fremantle, added: ‘The grave sexual assault of Lucy Spraggan in October 2012 was a truly heinous crime for which the perpetrator, who had no connection with the programme, was rightly prosecuted and imprisoned. .
“Everyone should feel safe sleeping in a hotel room – and it’s disgusting to think that a hotel doorman has abused that trust in such a vicious way.
“As far as we know, the attack was an unprecedented event in the British television industry.
“Although we believed all along that we were doing our best to support Lucy in the aftermath of the ordeal, because Lucy feels we could have done more, we must therefore acknowledge this. For all that Lucy has suffered, we are deeply sorry.
“Since then, we have done our utmost to learn from these events and improve our follow-up processes.
“While we have worked hard to protect Lucy’s lifelong right to anonymity, we applaud her strength and courage as she chooses to waive that right.”
Information and support for anyone who is a victim of rape or sexual abuse is available from Rape Crisis on 0808 500 2222.