LOCAL singing stars Ella Henderson and Micky Parsons have once again proved their talent by performing live on the X Factor tonight.
The show's theme was Love and Heartbreak. Ella was fourth to sing, appearing in a beautiful floor-length gown. She sang Lovin' You, originally recorded by Minnie Riperton, which is notoriously difficult among singers because of its range and an incredibly high F sharp.
She hit every note, despite admitting being "terrified" all week and having a bad dress rehearsal earlier in the day.
Gary Barlow told her: "You really nailed it. What a risk to take. It paid off."
Nicole Scherzinger said Ella was a "timeless goddess". "No matter what's trendy or going on in the industry," she said, "your talent, your voice and your beauty is standalone."
Louis Walsh said: "It's hard to believe you are 16. You are a world-class recording artist."
But he was the recipient of mentor Tulisa's wrath, when he criticised Ella's style as being too like chart-topping singer Adele.
Angry Tulisa told Louis that Ella styles herself, and went on to praise the youngster's stage presence.
And it prompted Adele herself to tweet a good luck message to Ella, which was read out on air.
District3 - featuring Micky, who grew up in Cleethorpes - were up seventh, and sang I Swear, originally by Boyz II Men.
They admitted being "worried" about the song choice, and if it would appear dated, but said it grew on them.
Tulisa praised their harmonies, saying: "I understand why Louis picked this song for you because your strong point are your harmonies, and it really showed off how good at it you are.
"You need to up your game and work harder. You have the strongest harmonies in the competition."
Gary was very critical, claiming the band was flat.
"I'm very disappointed for you," he said. "In the battle of the boybands, I'm afraid Union J have taken it."
Louis retorted: "Gary, I think you're going deaf. This is a world-class boyband."
And Nicole prompted fans to scream when she suggested the boys need to be covered in baby oil and "sing like you mean it".
Tonight, the judges were much more relaxed following last Sunday's tense live show.
As reported, there was controversy when Louis couldn't make up his mind on who to keep, and took the show to deadlock. Carolynne Poole was sent home after the sing-off against Rylan Clark, in a public vote, and Gary walked off set in disgust.
Will tomorrow's decider be as tense? Check back here.
Share your thoughts by commenting on this article - and send your messages of support to Ella and Micky.
In Monday's Grimsby Telegraph - our reporter Lucy Greensmith has a chat with Ella, who is delighted she has Grimsby's backing.
To vote to keep our local stars in the show, phone 09020505104 for Ella and 09020505107 for District3, or by clicking here.
Catch up with all the X Factor local news by saving www.thisisgrimsby.co.uk/xfactor in your favourites. You can also download a poster to show your support.
