X Factor contestant Sophie Habibis was booted off the show last night despite being told that she did not deserve to be in the bottom two.

The 19-year-old barmaid from Tufnell Park had won widespread praise throughout the competition and had avoided the sing-off until last night (Sunday) when she was sent home over fellow contestant Misha B.

While Tulisa Contostavlos and stand-in judge Alexandra Burke were impressed with Sophie’s rendition of Cher’s Bang Bang (My Baby Shot me Down) during the Halloween-themed live show on Saturday night, Louis Walsh told her she looked like a “secretary that sings at the weekend” and Gary Barlow said her performance was “as dull as dishwater.”

But when host Dermot O’Leary revealed the shock result of the public vote, all four judges said Sophie – who worked at the Whittington Stone pub in Highgate Hill, Archway, before entering the show – didn’t deserve to be in the bottom two.

Sophie sang Shelter by The XX during the sing-off but three judges – including her mentor Kelly Rowland, who had to vote over the phone after missing the show due to illness – opted to save Misha B after she performed the Kings of Leon Use Somebody.

Following the vote Kelly, who had previously said she wanted Sophie to sing at her wedding, commented: “I just want to tell Sophie that she is remarkable and she has such an incredible voice. She just has to develop as an artist and I can’t wait to see what the future holds for her.”

A composed but visibly upset Sophie said: ‘I’m going to continue working hard and prove why I shouldn’t have left this competition tonight.”