KIMBERLEY'S TRAGIC SECRET

FINALIST Kimberley Southwick nursed her terminally ill brother for years—then cradled him as he lay dying.

The loud 19-year-old kept her heartache a secret from the judges, and was labelled by Simon Cowell as "potentially the most annoying contestant we've had".

But her pub landlady mum Angie, of Tamworth, Staffs, said yesterday: "She's kept us all going with her rehearsals."

Kimberley even met the Queen as a young carer after tending brother Liam, who had suffered a fatal lung disease since birth.

He died in 2003, aged 17. Angie said: "It was terrible for Kimberley. We're thrilled she's on X Factor—it's fate."

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