STREAM EXCLUSIVE ORIGINALS

The X Factor Contestant Stacy Francis Has Secret Past

The aspiring singer was not as down-and-out as she led America to believe.

A single mother living in an unfurnished one-bedroom apartment in Los Angeles while working toward her dream of becoming a singer? That's the yarn that Stacy Francis, a contestant on Simon Cowell's The X Factor and a favorite to win, spun for America over the past few weeks. While the facts may be true, she also left out some pertinent details. Such as, she had an illustrious Broadway career, made fans out of Will Smith and Tom Cruise and has almost as many film and television credits as Justin Bieber.

 

According to RadarOnline.com, Francis has toured with Madonna, Prince and Chaka Khan, and performed for Tom Cruise on his birthday in 2004. The 42-year-old has appeared on Broadway in Smokey Joe’s Café and Footloose and landed roles in several feature films and television shows, including 1990’s The Bonfire of the Vanities with Tom Hanks and episodes of Third Watch.

 

“I can’t wait for the world to discover Stacy,” Will Smith was once quoted as saying about the aspiring singer.

 

The single mother of two children also appeared on a 2011 episode of VH1’s Beverly Hills Fabulous where she admitted to going through a divorce when she became pregnant with her second child from a man other than her husband.

 

“I just finished going through a divorce,” she said to stylist Elgin Charles while getting her hair done. “We were actually separated and we were going through the divorce and it’s not his baby.” Her ex-husband? Successful Los Angeles dentist Darwin Kyle Hayes.

 

While it's true Francis isn't exactly a bold-faced name, leaving her illustrious past out of her bio has led many to believe she materialized from nowhere to become the frontrunner of the singing competition. Great story, if only it were true. 

(Photo: Frazer Harrison/GettyImages)

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