A HAYES school teacher whose daughter survived the first X Factor public vote with girl group Rhythmix has said their growing fame is starting to hit home.
Leigh-Anne Pinnock, 20, breezed through to next Saturday's show after the four-piece group gave a polished performance of Nelly Furtado's 2000 hit, I'm Like a Bird.
All four star judges praised the girls, with Gary Barlow calling them 'fresh and exciting', and Louis Walsh saying the manufactured group had 'great chemistry'.
Earlier this year, Leigh-Anne worked as a mentor at Harlington Community School.
Her mum, Debbie, is director of learning at the school, and she told the Gazette: "It was totally different to last week.
"They all got to show off their vocal strength and showed that they can do different styles, and Leigh-Anne sounded great.
"Some of the other acts struggled with their songs, but theirs was a perfect choice and none of judges had anything to say, so we couldn't have asked for anything more.
"After they got through on Sunday I went backstage to congratulate them, and they were getting mobbed by people wanting autographs.
"Their Twitter and Facebook pages have gone mad - the whole thing has become very real.
"I don't know if I can take this pressure every week - my weekends are becoming exhausting!"
"The kids at the school have gone mad. There are posters everywhere, and everyone has been speaking to me about Leigh-Anne, it's great."
Another group, Nu Vibe, was the first act to be voted off the show after losing Sunday night's sing-off to Frankie Cocozza.
Ms Pinnock added: "Each week is bittersweet for them all. They have formed friendships, and the girls got on well with the Nu Vibe boys, so they were disappointed to see them go."
