Former X Factor contestant Lucy Spraggan has revealed that she left the show when she was raped by a bouncer in the hotel room where she was staying after partying with Rylan Clark during the show’s production in 2012.

Scouted for the competition aged just 20, Spraggan has now recounted how she was ‘let down’ by ITV while explaining why she was forced to leave the show abruptly in a new memoir, Process: Finding My Way Through.

Having previously been a concert performer, X Factor was the singer’s big break and she became the first contestant to sing her own song Last Night at her audition, which became the fourth most viewed video in the world that year.

But after making it through three live shows, the brutal attack left her unable to continue the show due to severe side effects from the medication Prep, a drug given to her by doctors that reduces her chances of contracting HIV.

The assault is said to have occurred after contestant Rylan Clark’s 25th birthday party, where staff and singers were given ‘free alcohol’, ultimately leading to Spraggan, now 31, losing consciousness.

Lucy Spraggan, now 31, has recounted how she was raped by a hotel waiter during the X Factor 2012

Rylan Clark (left) made sure the door to Spraggan’s hotel was locked when he left, meaning his attacker was tracked by the card he used to get in.

Spraggan was selected for the show at age 20 and made it through the first three live shows before abruptly resigning.

she told the guardian how a member of the production team escorted the singer back to the hotel from the Mayfair Mahiki nightclub, where a hotel bellhop offered to help get Spraggan safely back to her room.

But when the staff member left his room, the doorman is said to have manually prevented the room from auto-locking.

Supposedly, she and Clark had been sent to the hotel on Edgware Road, far from the Corinthia, where the show used to house its performers, with 24-hour security.

Spraggan described how he believed this was part of his ‘plot’ for the show, in which they were known to party and stay out late.

Some time later, Clark returned to the hotel and checked on his fellow contestant, later making sure her door was locked before putting her to sleep.

This meant that the doorman had to use a traceable card to get into the room and commit the violation, he explained.

The next day, Spraggan woke up and instantly knew something was wrong.

She told The Guardian: ‘I woke up the next day with this feeling of sheer dread.

‘I don’t think I’ve felt that level of confusion since. She knew that she had been raped, but she couldn’t process that. So I put my clothes on and went on autopilot.

After telling Clark, whom she describes as a fierce supporter of her, production staff were informed and the police were called.

She was prescribed Prep which, if taken within the first 72 hours of having sex, can stop the spread of HIV, but it left her feeling too sick to continue singing on the show.

Rylan and Lucy pictured leaving the filming studios during their 2012 season of X Factor

Spraggan described how he woke up and felt an ‘immediate sense of dread’

Simon Cowell said he is still in contact with Spraggan, describing him as “one of the most genuine, talented and courageous people I’ve ever met”.

She is now frustrated by the lack of aftercare she received upon leaving the competition, as although she reportedly received medical and financial support immediately afterward, she says she had no support after the trial.

Spraggan said she wanted to clarify why she suddenly quit X Factor, but claims she was encouraged not to by people associated with the show.

She writes: ‘No one contacted me to ask if I was okay. No one called or emailed when the trial ended and he was convicted. No one offered me rehabilitation or ongoing mental health treatment. I was alone.’

The man behind the attack pleaded guilty at trial and was sentenced to ten years in prison, meaning the singer did not have to relive the trauma of the rape on the witness stand.

Simon Cowell, boss of The X Factor, told The Guardian that what happened to Spraggan was “horrifying and heartbreaking”.

He continued, “Although we met under tragic circumstances, a genuine friendship and mutual respect has developed between us. Lucy is one of the most authentic, talented and courageous people I have ever met.

“I have always supported her desire to tell her story, as well as her efforts to bring about positive change.”

An ITV spokesperson said: “We have the deepest compassion for Lucy and all she has endured as a result of this ordeal.” We praise her resilience and courage.

‘The X Factor was produced by Thames and Syco, who were primarily responsible for the duty of care towards all contributors to their show.

‘ITV, as a commissioned broadcaster, is committed to having adequate and robust monitoring procedures in place, in order to ensure that independent producers employ the correct processes to protect the mental health and well-being of participants.

‘We continue to develop our own duty-of-care processes on the shows we produce to ensure the right measures are in place to support contributors before, during and after filming. In an event of such a harrowing nature, the welfare and support of the victim will always be of the highest priority.’

A spokesperson for the production company behind the show, Fremantle, added: “While we believed at all times that we were doing everything we could to support Lucy after the ordeal, as Lucy believes we could have done more, we must acknowledge this.” For all that Lucy has suffered, we are so sorry.

“Since then, we have done everything we can to learn lessons from these events and improve our aftercare processes.”

Information and support for anyone affected by rape or sexual assault is available from Rape Crisis on 0808 500 2222.