ESSEX boy Olly Murs has got a successful career ahead of him despite finishing runner-up in the X Factor, his best friend believes.

Annie Davidson

ESSEX boy Olly Murs has got a successful career ahead of him despite finishing runner-up in the X Factor, his best friend believes.

Lee Phillippo told the EADT he was initially “gutted” for the Witham wiggler who lost out to Geordie crooner Joe McElderry in the hugely popular ITV show.

Winner Joe pulled in two thirds of the 10 million votes cast by fans of the annual singing competition on Sunday night.

It was also a winning formula for ITV which saw audiences peak at 19.1 million - an increase of two million compared to last year's final.

Joe, 18, is now odds-on to have the Christmas number one with his debut single The Climb.

But despite the disappointing result for Witham lad Olly, Lee said he was confident his friend had a successful career ahead of him.

Lee, 23, of Tiptree, said yesterday: “Last night I was really gutted for him but I think now at the end of the day he is going to do well out of it.

“His talent is out there now and people like Robbie Williams and Simon Cowell are looking out for him.

“It won't be the last you hear of him.”

Lee was at an after-show party with Olly following the final where the 25-year-old was in high spirits.

“He said that there were 200,000 people and so to come second wasn't too bad!” said Lee.

“Of course it would have been nice for him to win but this is the start of something for him, and not the end.”

The sight of last year's runner-up boyband JLS, who had a number one with their first single Beat Again, on stage alongside winner Alexandra Burke in Sunday's final showed what a difference a year could make, Lee added.

“Next year, Olly can do that,” he said.

“He is free to start doing his own stuff and bringing it out.

“Fair play to Joe, he did an absolutely fantastic job through the show and he and Olly bonded, they have both got the same dream after all.”

Lee added he did not know what Olly's plans were for the immediate future except for concentrating on the X Factor tour which begins in January.