Jake Quickenden Biography

Quickenden was a lifeguard in his home town of Scunthorpe, alongside a career as semi-pro footballer.
Quickenden plays football, mainly as a winger or forward. He began his football career as a youth player for Scunthorpe United but suffered a broken leg, ending his chances with his hometown club. Following recovery he was offered trials in Australia with Bentleigh Greens and Sunshine George Cross, eventually playing professionally in Australia for two years. He then returned to England and went on to play for Frickley Athletic in the Evo-Stik Northern Premier League, Premier Division. Most recently he played for Lincolnshire club Bottesford Town in the Tool Station Northern Counties East Football League. He recently turned down the opportunity to play for Gainsborough Trinity, apparently due to interest from other clubs.
Media career
Quickenden began his media career by appearing on the talent show The X Factor. After his 2012 departure, he has made a number of other media appearances since, including working as a presenter on the Chart Show TV channel.
The X Factor
Quickenden auditioned at the 2012 series of The X Factor, where he sang "Use Somebody" and received four yeses from the judges. In bootcamp, he and along with fellow contestants Adam Burridge and Robbie Hance, sang "How to Save a Life". The judges decided to put him through to judges' houses where he was in the Boys category along with Burridge, Nathan Fagan-Gayle, Rylan Clark, Jahméne Douglas, and the series' eventual winner James Arthur and their mentor was Nicole Scherzinger. Quickenden sang "Back for Good" in front of Scherzinger and her guest, Ne-Yo. The next day, Scherzinger decided not to put Quickenden through to the live shows, choosing Clark, Douglas, and Arthur instead.
Source: wikipedia.org