The X Factor’s Wagner and Chico look unrecognisable with longer hair

Viewers of This Morning were treated to some 2000s nostalgia on Friday as former stars of the show Chico Slimani, Wagner and Stevie Richie appeared.

The trio were all legendary entertainers at the time with their faces plastered in newspapers and magazines across the country.

However, viewers would be forgiven for not recognizing two of the stars now after they both underwent daring hair transformations.

Wagner, 63, sported longer blonde locks after undergoing a hair transplant, while Chico, 51, styled two long braids.

Fans were quick to comment on the transformation, as they expressed their delight at seeing the trio while also sharing a plethora of hilarious memes.

They wrote: ‘Boy looks like Wednesday Addams #ThisMorning’; ‘Is that Wagner?’; ‘you look great buddy #ThisMorning’; ‘I’ll always love #Xfactor and Stevie has to be one of the nicest people to ever audition! Chico and Wagner also legends #ThisMorning’;

‘Are the braids attached to the hat or to her head?; ‘Boy looks like Pippa Long Sock’; ‘#ThisMorning Chico channeling Little Bo Peep’; ‘#thismorning wow boy wagner and stevie… good old x factor days’; ‘When you’re at #thismorning at 11:45 and you have an audition for the new St Trinian’s movie at 12:15…

‘Boy Slimarni is a lovely chap. I will never forget a time when he was in a #o2 store in Enfield. My youngest son was upset. She spent years calming him down, talking to him and even making a personal video of him. He didn’t have to do that. He chose to make it #ThisMorning’.

Speaking about her time on the show, Wagner, who reached the quarterfinals on the show’s seventh season, revealed: “It was the biggest party ever, everyone was amazing.”

“My advice to contestants is to live in the moment, live in the present, and enjoy every second.”

Meanwhile, Stevie, who made it into the show’s sixth week in 2014, said: “It was literally like winning the lottery.” It gave me a lot personally.’

However, Alison Hammond later put her foot in it when she exclaimed ‘you met the love of your life’, referring to her ex Chloe Jasmine Whichello.

Informing Alison that they had since broken up, she said, ‘Yes, I did…at the time. Thanks for that, Alison,’ as the host struggled to contain her explosive laugh.

Meanwhile, Chico, who also made it to the quarterfinals in 2005, revealed that people still recognize him now, even though he’s moved to Bali.

He explained: ‘I was walking through my village, quite remote, and this guy said ‘OMG, it’s Chico’, so they still recognize me!

“X Factor allowed me to start my charity, the Rainbow Charity, it was a platform that not only changed my life but also the lives of hundreds of thousands of other people.”

Since they rose to fame, both Wagner and Chico have lived abroad, while Stevi has performed at holiday parks across the UK.

Wagner has opened a hair transplant clinic in his native Brazil, after undergoing the procedure himself in 2013.

The former physical education teacher revealed that he wants to “die in peace” in his homeland knowing that his wife Lydia will be taken care of.

Wagner, who in recent years has resided in Birmingham with Lydia, 30, and their children, also hailed her own decision to undergo a hair transplant, insisting that it is living proof that they work.

The singer went to Vinci Hair Clinic to transfer healthy hair follicles from the back of his head to the areas that needed them at the front, and became good friends with the clinic’s owner, Salvar Björnsson.

‘I am living proof that hair transplants work. I had mine eight years ago and have not lost anything. I lose more from the beard than from the head,” she said.

He went on to reveal that Björnsson allowed him to open a new franchise in Northeast Brazil, where he grew up.

‘So you’re asking me to go back to paradise, palm trees, 12 months at sea, to go earn money? I’m going to make so much money that I’m going back to the UK. I’m only a flight away,” she added.

‘Once the clinic is up and running, I can hire a manager who speaks English and once I die, Lydia will communicate with the manager and now I can die in peace.’

Wagner has continued to perform concerts since his time on X Factor and also earned additional income through personalized video messages.

Meanwhile, Chico has hosted wellness retreats in Bali, Croatia, and Portugal.

Despite speaking fondly of his time on The X Factor, Chico previously addressed the show’s aftercare.

The former goat herder said that while the show gave him a “platform” to do other things, he believes singers are “naive” to think they will have long careers in the music industry.

He explained: ‘It gave me a chance to make a good living, I’ve been all over the country entertaining the masses, a lot has come out of that.

“I can’t complain because, again, I knew what it was, you get used or abused, and you use that platform to continue.”

Then he exclaimed: ‘They don’t care about you. You are a commodity, you are only as good as the money you are going to earn from them. That is.’