Williams was tearful following his exit

He lost out to teacher Beverley Trotman after three out of the four judges decided to keep her in the competition.

Williams' mentor, Dannii Minogue, apologised to him for choosing the wrong song for him to perform - Snow Patrol's Chasing Cars.

"I feel terrible," she said. Seven acts remain in the competition, including girl band Hope.

Trotman sang a rendition of James Blunt's You're Beautiful.

Meanwhile, The X Factor lost out to rival talent programme Strictly Come Dancing, according to overnight estimates.

The BBC One programme was seen by an average of 9.3 million viewers, with results announced in a separate Sunday show.

The first part of The X Factor scored 8.7 million, with the results show watched by 8.2 million.