Saara Aalto has made it through to the last stage of the X Factor final

Illustrated rainbow pride flag on a white background.

Saara Aalto has made it through to the last stage of the X Factor final, where she will go head-to-head against Matt Terry in the fight to be crowned this year’s winner.

The Finnish pop sensation is now the hot favourite to win.

She was voted through by the public after performing Tears for Fears’ Everybody Wants To Rule The World.

Rival act 5 After Midnight was voted off in the first half of the two-part final.

Earlier this year Aalto, who previously represented her native Finland in the Eurovision Song Contest, opened up about having a female fiancé.

Last week the X Factor was forced to deny allegations that they had sought to downplay the relationship.

A number of LGBT singers have appeared on the programme in the past.

Camp contestants Bradley and Ottavio were the first to be eliminated from this year’s live shows, having been subjected to weeks of homophobic abuse online.

X Factor chief Simon Cowell was criticised earlier in the series after making a crude gay joke at the expense of co-judge Louis Walsh.

Walsh recently admitted he used to try and keep singers he represented in the closet, often planting fake stories without their knowledge.

He confessed: “I married [Boyzone singer] Stephen Gately off to so many people, because Stephen didn’t want anyone to know he was gay at the start.

“At that time it wasn’t cool to be gay and be in a boyband, because the girls had to like him.”