James Arthur, the winner of "The X Factor" U.K. in 2012, is an international pop star and an eligible bachelor with a playboy reputation, so it was only a matter of time before one of his rejected flings would come forward to slam him in a tabloid interview. In an article published by The Sun on March 3, 2013, Danielle Withey, an 18-year-old "beauty therapist," gave an interview in which she described in detail how she had a one-night stand with Arthur, 25, whom she describes as a cheap and tacky lover who ultimately disappointed her.
According to Withey, the fling happened on Jan. 24, 2013, the night before the launch of "The X Factor" U.K. 2013 tour that featured the top seven "X Factor" U.K. contestant acts who were on the show in 2012.
Withey told The Sun that she met Arthur when he contacted her on Twitter. She sent him racy photos, he asked to meet her in person, and in a matter of days, he sent a taxi to her home in Chelmsford, Essex, England, to take her to his London apartment. When they met at his apartment, he immediately made it clear that he wasn't going to romance her and he was only interested in having sex with her.
When Arthur asked Withey if she wanted something to eat or drink, and she said she wanted a drink, Withey was shocked and embarrassed that he sent her to a nearby Tesco to buy a drink with her own money. (In the United Kingdom, the minimum legal age to drink and buy alcohol is 18.) When she went back to his place with a £5 bottle of Blossom Hill rosé wine, he asked her how much the wine cost and tried to reimburse her by giving her £20, but she said she wouldn't take the money. "It didn’t seem very appropriate,” Withey explained to The Sun. Arthur then served her the wine in a coffee mug.
Withey told The Sun: “He doesn’t really know how to treat a girl. I’m still trying to get my head around it all. He didn’t have any wine glasses and said he wasn’t drinking because he was starting the 'X Factor' tour the next day. I noticed on the living room wall an 'X Factor' plaque which had the show logo on and his million pound contract. But there was nothing else in the room to suggest he was a big star.”
Even though Arthur's first single, a cover version of Shontelle's "Impossible," has become a massive hit in the U.K., Ireland, Australia, New Zealand, Switzerland and Greece, he is far from being a millionaire. The song was a charity single for Together for Short Lives, so Arthur is not getting substantial royalties from it. In addition, most singers make most of their money through touring, merchandising and endorsement deals (and songwriting royalties if they write songs that become big hits), and so far, Arthur has not made a fortune in any of these areas. Arthur's first album for Syco Music is expected to be released sometime in 2013. The album's title, songs and release date are to be announced.
In her interview with The Sun, Withey described how many times she and Arthur and sex, where they had sex, and how they had sex. She also included some "too much information" details about how Arthur kept his socks and hoodie sweater on during one of their sex sessions. At one point, she said that he interrupted their sexual encounter to watch TV to see if fellow "X Factor" U.K. alum Rylan Clark would win on "Celebrity Big Brother."
Withey told The Sun: “It was very, very odd. He just stopped, stood up and turned up the telly. He said, ‘I’ve just got to see if Rylan wins.’ Rylan did win, of course, and James was over the moon. He was shouting at the telly. Then he just carried on again like nothing had happened.
“He kept his grey socks and sweater on during the whole thing which I thought was odd. He doesn’t really know how to treat a girl but Twitter is obviously an easy way for him to meet women ... It was a fling and I accept that.”
Withey said that she only heard from Arthur once since their one-night stand; they had a "brief exchange" on Twitter on Feb. 4, 2013. Perhaps she has now figured out that Arthur doesn't want to be in a relationship with her, and that's why she waited more than a month after the alleged one-night stand to tell her story to a tabloid.
As previously reported, Arthur ended his relationship with 18-year-old dance instructor Lucie Poole shortly after he found fame on "The X Factor." A source told the Sunday Mirror that Arthur's busy schedule was the main reason for the split. After the breakup, he was romantically linked to several women, including Made in Chelsea" co-star Kimberley Garner, "The Xtra Factor" co-host Caroline Flack, former "Take Me Out" contestant Chanelle McCleary and bodybuilder Jodie Marsh.
McCleary told The Sun that she wants to be Arthur's girlfriend, but that relationship has essentially ended. For a while, Arthur was dating Garner and Flack around the same time. On December 16, 2012, Arthur had dinner with Garner in London at Chinese restaurant Hakkasan, and they later headed to the nightclub Sketch. (The Daily Mail has published photos of the couple together on their date and holding hands.) Meanwhile, Arthur and Flack spent hours together on a date at the Groucho Club in London on December 13, 2012, according to the Daily Mirror, and he has been seen on other dates with her since then too.
And although Arthur probably doesn't want any of his current or former lovers to give tabloid tell-all interviews, he has invited this kind of attention by talking about his sex life to the media. Arthur told Look magazine in a December 2012 interview: “I'm a great lover. Please print that. When I’ve got a girlfriend I like to be with them as much as possible and I’m very affectionate. It’s all about respect. I’m not going to treat a woman like a piece of meat. I’m very much a boyfriend type of guy. I’ve been in relationships since I was 16. Now is the longest I’ve been single. But I’m trying to behave myself at the moment and I haven’t got time to meet girls.
"I feel so positive, my attitude’s been rejuvenated. I’ve had fan mail but I haven’t had any knickers sent to me yet. I had some glamour models messaging me on Twitter and saying they think I’m hot but I’m being careful. I’m happy single, although I’d love to meet a woman to share everything with I’m going through."
In interviews, Arthur has also confessed his lust for celebrities such as Tulisa Contostavlos, Nicole Scherzinger (who was his mentor on "The X Factor" U.K.), Cheryl Cole, model Rosie Jones and Rihanna. He told the media that he wants to date them, even though some of them already have boyfriends.
Arthur told The Sun in a previous interview: “I’m not exactly Brad Pitt, but 'The X Factor' has got me a few birds [British slang for women]. I’m told by my management that I need quality control. I know I get attention from women I would’ve been punching above my weight with before. But if I bag a supermodel on the strength of my voice I’m not gonna complain. I’m under no illusion that I’m some kind of big shot or heartthrob but it’s nice to get female attention.”
The Sun claims that Arthur and singer Rita Ora have been secretly dating, but other tabloids have hinted that Ora is actually in a romance with openly bisexual model Cara Delevingne. Ora has fueled those rumors by giving interviews in which she describes Delevingne as her "wifey."
UPDATE: On March 3, 2013, Arthur tweeted an apparent denial about Withey's story. He tweeted: "HAHA what a load of old sh*t. I'd have kept more than my socks on if that was in my vicinity."
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