X FACTOR hopeful Lauren Platt says it would mean “the absolute world” to her to win the ITV talent show.

Lauren, 17, from Billericay, is among the favourites to win after wowing judges with her renditions of Pharrell Williams’s song, Happy, and What a Feeling from the musical, Flashdance, last week.

Banners and posters have starting appearing around the town in support of the former Billericay School pupil and relatives and friends have been travelling to London every week to watch her record the show.

Lauren hopes to go far in the competition, but insists she is just delighted to be doing so well.

She added: “Without sounding like cliche, it would mean the absolute world to win. You put in so much work and it’s not just me, but also my family and friends.

“It’d be nice to know it’s something I had achieved for everyone else – all the people back home who have supported me.

“It has been absolutely crazy.

It’s very full-on.

“There are lots of very early mornings and lots of late nights and not a lot of sitting down, but a lot of the stuff you do is just fun, like finding songs, make-up, hair stuff and clothes.”

Throughout the week, Lauren has edged closer to being the bookies’ favourite, knocking Andrea Faustini off the top spot.

However, she is determined to keep her feet firmly on the ground and focus on the support she has at home.

She said: “It just gives you a confidence boost. The public doesn’t see a lot of stuff behind the scenes – the tears and rehearsals, when it is not going right, the clothes you don’t want to wear. The public doesn’t see that, so when you read the stuff about all the support it does help.”

Lauren insists that despite her new-found whirlwind celebrity life – running into Josh from boy band Union J in the hairdresser’s and actor Michael Gambon at the studios – the highlight for her is still performing.

She said: “After a long, long hard, but fun, week, just getting on the stage is the thing. It’s something you work for all week.”

Yesterday Lauren was back in Billericay, catching up with her friends and her family.

She said: “As someone in this competition, all you really want is to have people’s approval, To know that is all going on, back home, is really comforting.

“Mum has been out every day putting up posters.”

The next X Factor theme is rumoured to be movies and while Lauren wasn’t allowed to say what she’d be singing this weekend, she promised it would be something everyone would recognise.

! X Factor is on ITV 1 at 8pm on Saturday and Sunday.