Ben Haenow crowned X Factor 2014 winner over Fleur East in final

The Croydon singer will release 'Something I Need' as his winner's single

X Factor finalist Ben Haenow (Splash News, Corbis)

Ben Haenow has been crowned winner of this year's X Factor after beating Fleur East in a nail-biting final.

The aspiring Croydon singer and van driver performed "Man in the Mirror" by Michael Jackson as his 'song of the series' and duetted with Ed Sheeran on his global hit "Thinking Out Loud".

X Factor final 2014 - as it happened

Ben will release his version of OneRepublic's "Something I Need" as his winners single in a bid for the Christmas number one.

"I can't believe it! I can't believe it!" he said ecstatically after host Dermot O'Leary announced his name. "Thank you so much for making my dreams come true."

More than 40 million people voted in tonight's X Factor final, with performances from Olly Murs and Demi Lovato, Sam Smith, and One Direction and Rolling Stone Keith Richards.

Fleur put up a valient vocal fight singing "Uptown Funk" by Mark Ronson and Bruno Mars after her rendition shot to number one on the iTunes chart last weekend, as well as "Something I Need".

She was joined by Labrinth for a performance of his song with Emeli Sande, "Beneath Your Beautiful".