X Factor judges floored by the Welsh Whitney..

She arrived at the X Factor audition determined to deliver the performance of her life.
But even 18-year-old Lucie Jones couldn't have predicted just how successful her appearance before judges Simon Cowell, Cheryl Cole, Louis Walsh and Dannii Minogue would be.
Hailing from a small village outside Cardiff, where this week's auditions were held, Lucie told the panel: 'The X Factor is my ticket out of here. Out of the little village on top of a hill, with all the sheep.'

Born to sing: Lucie Jones performed Whitney Houston's notoriously difficult I Will Always Love You, leaving even Simon Cowell mesmerised

But things looked ominous when she announced she was going to perform the notoriously hard to sing Whitney Houston song I Will Always Love You.
'Are you sure you want to do that song?' a clearly unconvinced Simon asked.

But Lucie forged ahead and long before she had finished singing, Simon was beaming from ear-to-ear - as were all four judges.
The audience in the auditorium gave her a standing ovation.

'Vulnerability': The 18-year-old had a cheering section made up of residents from her small Welsh village

Over the moon: Lucie was ecstatic by the judges' response

A clearly moved Cheryl then told the teenager: 'I actually loved the vulnerability in your performance because it makes me think you don't realise how amazing you are.
'I think you can sing anything.'
An excited Louis added: 'Some people were born to sing. You were born to sing.
'Everything is going to change for you from this day on.'

Even Simon was uncharacteristically gushing - by his standards, at least.
He said: 'Lucie, this is why we came to Wales. [That was] one of the hardest songs in the world to sing. I like you.'
Lucie told the judges: 'This is my dream. I've never wanted to do anything else. I'm now one step closer.'
Cheryl, Simon, Louis and Dannii then all voted her through to the next round with a unanimous chorus of 'Yes'.

Cheryl was so impressed she came backstage to give Lucie a hug (above), while the teenager nervously waited with her parents before the audition (below)

But Lucie's adventures weren't over yet - Cheryl was so moved she popped backstage to give her a hug.
And she wasn't the only teen to impress the judges - schoolboy Lloyd Daniels from South Wales shone with an acapella version of R Kelly's Turn Back The Hands Of Time.
The petrified 16-year-old nearly blew his chance though when he first nervously launched into an accompanied rendition of the Jason Mraz song I'm Yours and hit a few bum notes.
Clearly spotting that talent lurked beneath his extreme anxiousness, Cheryl asked Lloyd to stop singing and then Simon asked him to sing acapella which was when his magic shone through.

After he'd finished to another standing ovation, Cheryl told him: 'I think you're the first person I'm going to say "You've got the X Factor to".'

Anxious: Schoolboy Lloyd Daniels has been dubbed the new X Factor heartthrob

Not everybody impressed though.
Dawn Thomas, a customer services worker, delivered such a toe-curling performance that Simon told her: 'I think every dog in Cardiff has just turned up outside the theatre.'
Elsewhere, pop duo Combined Effort - Jack and Kirsty - admitted that despite being engaged, they had split up just three days before the audition.
They explained that the relationship was called off after a series of rows about things like the washing up and going out.
Following their dreadful performance of Starship hit Nothing's Gonna Stop Us Now, Cheryl told Jack: 'I think that she still likes you.'
Simon then encouraged him to ask her back out before the pair publicly reconciled.

Sexy: The girls from Project A performed Lady GaGa's Let's Dance

Other highlights of the Cardiff auditions included girlband Project A made up of Laura, Lucy, Amy and Lauren who are cheerleaders for a rugby team.

They performed Lady GaGa's Let's Dance, and wanted their rendition to appeal to everyone including mothers, but especially 'lads'.
Meanwhile, full-time mother Ashanti was supported by her children as she anxiously waited to perform Mary J Blige's I'm Goin' Down.
She needn't have worried though as the judges unanimously voted her through.

Full-time mother Ashanti's biggest fans are her children. The judges voted her through to the next round

Next up was young rugby fan Daniel, who said singing is more important to him than sport, before performing Let It Be by the Beatles.

Judges also saw French waiter Fouad, who hoped to emulate Mariah Carey's success - but they could barely recognise his version of her hit Vision Of Love.
He then sang Hero, prompting the audience to stand up and join in and the judges to laugh.
Another wannabe with lofty expectations, Allan's high-pitched voice left the judges cringing.
He launched into a bizarre version of Billy Ocean's When The Going Gets Tough to roars of laughter from the audience.

Allan (left) didn't have what it takes to get through the auditions, while Daniel (right) received the thumbs up with a strong rendition of The Beatles' Let It Be

Pop duo with the ex-factor: Despite ending their relationship three days before the auditions, Kirsty and Jack took to the stage as Combined Effort

Still in love: Kirsty and Jack embraced after Cheryl Cole and Simon Cowell encouraged them to get back together