After receiving unfavourable remarks regarding his appearance, James Arthur felt compelled to wear a hat on Today’s This Morning.
The X-Factor contestant was discussing his profession with hosts Craig Doyle and Josie Gibson when his hair came up.
Craig, 52, revealed that his children were particularly excited about James being a guest: ‘My kids are so happy that you’re in here. They’re absolutely delighted. They said “Dad, he looks so cool these days with the hair!”‘
‘I’ve gotten a lot of stick over my hair,’ the 35-year-old answered, which surprised Craig.
He chose to wear a woolly cap for his time on the sofa, which is not a common decision in August, and James explained why.
‘That’s why I thought I’d put it under the hat today so people can listen to me and not comment on the hair.’
Craig, fascinated, told James that he now wanted to see what was beneath his hat.
‘Is it huge?’ he enquired.
James commented: ‘This does contour it a little bit. It’s a bit out of control at the minute.’
Craig then went on to compliment James on how happy he looked.
‘Anytime I’ve come on here in the past I’ve been riddled with anxiety,’ he admitted.
‘Any sort of live TV [made him feel anxious], probably the nature of how I came up. Probably having a kid has chilled me out.’
James and his fiancée Jessica Grist had their first child, Emily, in November.
He also discussed his experience on the ITV talent programme, when he was pulled from anonymity and thrust into the spotlight.
‘It was the best and worst experience of my life. It was a pressure pot. I struggled in the aftermath,’ he admitted.
Craig took some harsh comments at guests on the broadcast before stating he was taking a break.
This Morning airs weekdays from 10am on ITV1.