Published Monday, 26 November 2012
X Factor's Chris Maloney and Rylan Clark. (© Rex Features)
Rylan lost out in the weekend's sing-off against Union J and, despite appearing to take a pop at Chris's ability to entertain in a series of Twitter posts, now thinks the cruise ship singer could win.
"I think Chris Maloney might take it - he's got such a great following," the Essex lad told ITV's Daybreak on Monday.
With the X Factor final in just under two weeks' time, Rylan also joked that he'd loved to see Chris duet with another cruise ship singer - Loose Women panellist Jane McDonald.
"I think it would be immense. Get Jane McDonald in that final," he said.
If I'd have won it, there wouldn't be an X Factor next year. It would have put a lot of people out of a job.
Rylan Clark
The contestants do usually team up with a special celebrity guest for one song and Jane said she would be more than happy to join Chris on stage.
"If Chris Maloney wants me to sing on the duet of X Factor with him, I will do it," she declared on Monday's Loose Women.
"I would be very proud to sing alongside him. I think he's had a rough ride. He's had a lot of criticism. I'm proud of him standing up every week and doing as well as he's done."
Meanwhile, Rylan remained realistic about his strength lying in entertaining rather than in his singing ability and admitted that if he had won the show, it would have undermined its credibility.
"I'm just so shocked that I managed to get as far as I did and I'm just so pleased that I did," he said.
"I got a chance to stand there and sing like everyone else, and hopefully I proved myself to a lot of people out there that thought I can't really sing, and I went out on a high."