LEONA and Ray will go head to head in next Saturday's final of X Factor after Ben was voted off in last night's semi-finals of the ITV reality talent show.
Ben Mills, from Kent, went for two rock anthems in last night's live programme - Everything I Do by Bryan Adams and U2's Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For.
But his performance was not quite enough to put the 26-year-old marquee company director into the final.
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The competition for places in the final was incredibly tight, with the long-haired singer polling just 3% less of the 3.
5 million votes than the other two contestants.
He said he did not know what the future held, but pledged to carry on singing.
Leona Lewis, 21, wowed the public with a rendition of Whitney Houston's I Have Nothing and then Eva Cassidy's Somewhere Over the Rainbow, which she first sang at her audition.
Judge Simon Cowell described the London receptionist's version of the classic tune as "the single best performance I have ever witnessed" on the show.
Student Ray Quinn, 18, sang Nat King Cole's Smile before his emotional rendition of Liverpool anthem You'll Never Walk Alone left him and judge Sharon Osbourne in tears.
The teenager earlier revealed he had been afraid the emotion of the song would get the better of him during the live show, as it had been sung when people in his family died.
The two youngsters, both from Cowell's 16 to 24 age group, will now battle it out to win the competition.
After the result was announced Leona said: "It's unbelievable, I can't believe it."
Ray was also shocked by the news that he had been voted into the final.
"I just can't believe it, I'm stunned, I'm absolutely stunned," he said.
"Thank you so much to anybody out there who supported me, it's such an honour."
After the semi-final, bookmakers William Hill had Leona as their hot favourite to be the X Factor's first female winner, with odds of 1-6 on her coming top in next Saturday's poll.
Ray had odds of 7-2 to win. Whoever wins the X-Factor is 2-9 odds-on favourite for the Christmas number one single slot.
William Hill spokesman Rupert Adams said: "The only person we can compare Leona to is Kelly Clarkson, a true star.
"Leona is by far the best X Factor contestant in three years of the show and we wouldn't dream of taking bets on her achieving at least five number ones in 2007."
Who will win X Factor? Have your say.
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