X Factor final: Louisa Johnson becomes youngest person ever winner

Johnson impressed the judges with her rendition of a James Brown classic

Louisa's first single, a cover of Bob Dylan's Forever Young, has already been released (SYCO/THAMES TV/Corbis/Dymond/PA)

Louisa Johnson has been named as the winner of this year's X Factor, beating Reggie 'N' Bollie to claim the title in the show's final at Wembley Arena.

17-year-old Johnson sang It's a Man's Man's Man's World by James Brown and the 'winner's song', Forever Young by Bob Dylan, in front of an audience of thousands.

Originally from Essex, Johnson was mentored by Rita Ora throughout the show, and described her win as a 'dream come true' on Twitter.

Reacting to her performance of James Brown's classic, judge Simon Cowell said: "I really believe we're witnessing the birth of a star."

Her competitors, Ghanaian duo Reggie 'N' Bollie, performed a mash-up rendition of One Direction's What Makes You Beautiful and Reel 2 Real's I Like To Move It - but their performances weren't enough to give them the win.

An emotional Cheryl Fernandez-Versini, their mentor in the show, told them: "I've believed in you from day one, thank you from the bottom of my heart. I love you so much."

The duo thanked their fans, saying: "We want to say thank you to everyone supporting us, thank you to the judges - thank you for making us live our dreams, thank you Cheryl for for your belief, we really appreciate it."

The show was also notable for including the last live performance by boyband and previous X Factor competitors One Direction, who will now be taking a break from music.

Liam Payne told the show's host Olly Murs: "It's been the most amazing five years... we want to thank Simon, The X Factor... we are sad to be going away for a little while but we need it, thank you to all the fans who've supported us over the years."