X Factor hellraiser Frankie Cocozza reveals he’s blown his £200,000 fortune on booze and now gets £7.50 an hour working on a building site
FRANKIE Cocozza caused a stir on The X Factor as the wild child singer kicked off in 2011 for his rock and roll lifestyle.
But six years later, he admits he’s blown £200,000 of his fortune on booze and turned his back on fame to work on a building site for £7.50 an hour.
The 24-year-old singer currently earns cash mixing cement, ahead of his appearance on the Channel 4 show, Celebs Go Dating.
Floppy-haired Frankie told that he would do his wild ride all over again given the chance and he admits he is worse at spending than ever before.
He said: “I have no regrets. I didn’t have to have a real job for a long time after the show, and me and my mates had the best time.
“I went back to work because I needed more dough, but I think I was just bored. I sat in my room for the last three or four years playing guitar every day.”
Frankie said he loves being on the building site and that it gives him a reason to get up in the mornings.
The X Factor hopeful, who later claimed to have over 300 notches on his bedpost, revealed his bum is tattooed with the names of seven girls he's slept with when he auditioned for the show at 18.
He made the final few acts, but was mysteriously removed from the show in November 2011, which was later pinned on him “boasting about cocaine-fuelled sex sessions.”
The reality star admits his actions “over-stepped competition rules” and claims he was only chosen for The X Factor due to the “tattoos on my a**e”. He also admitted: "They were never going to get any number ones from me."
Frankie said: “Me and my mates just turned up at clubs all over the country afterwards and had loads of free booze poured down our necks and an army of girls trying to get in to sit with us. It has been a bit dark at times, but I’m controlled. It never got to a stage where I need help.”
MATCH MADE IN REALITY HEAVEN Frankie Cocozza and Charlotte Dawson are dating after meeting on Celebs Go Dating
After leaving the show Frankie released two singles, with one peaking at 19 in the iTunes chart and the other failing to chart, but his bad boy reputation kept him in the limelight.
In 2012, he came second in Celebrity Big Brother, losing to Denise Welch, and would rack up around £4,000 per club appearance, along with money from magazine deals.
But despite getting a reported £30,000 to star on CBB, his £200,000 fortune quickly diminished and at one stage he was left with just £5 in the bank.
Frankie said: “I didn’t think it was going to end. I spent it all on Fred Perry and booze – among other things I won’t say. Over the years I think I’ve spent about £200,000 on alcohol.”
Frankie said that drinking helped him cope with the grief he went through after losing his aunt, Helen Cope, to cancer, and his best friend Connor Saunders, 19, who died in an unprovoked attack.
The tragedies he has experienced have helped him to gain some perspective, and he is now a patron of The Connor Saunders Foundation.
And he is hoping to find a steady relationship on E4’s Celebs Go Dating, alongside the likes of Calum Best and Towie’s James Argent.
We shared that Frankie and Ex On The Beach star Charlotte Dawson have reportedly hooked up after meeting on the show.
The pair signed up for the E4 reality programme to be matched up with potential suitors but ended up finding love with each other.
We previously shared how he opened up about his drug shame as he revealed his dramatic new look.
MOST READ IN FABULOUS
