Nothing seems to upset Wagner. He has that kind of sunny disposition you get from being over a certain age and being a bit bonkers. However, when X Factor big wigs put a ban on his TV appearances, this must have upset the “unpredictable” Wagner a little bit.
After leaving the X Factor on Saturday he had interviews lined up with Daybreak and a number of other radio stations – however, these were cancelled at the last minute. A backstage source is being reported to have commented:
“They turned down dozens of requests because they were worried what he might say. Wagner is very unpredictable and could say anything at any time so it just looked like an accident waiting to happen. They spent the day talking to him and giving him advice so that when he does speak publicly, hopefully he won’t damage the show’s image. He was effectively gagged from doing any media. No other contestant had this treatment this series.”
He did get a soft soap interview for the official magazine though…where his thoughts can be heavily moderated and edited. In this he pointed out how he felt Louis picked the wrong songs for him, though he was at pains to smooth out the rift between himself and Cheryl Cole.
The gagging will work both ways though. Firstly it will protect the show. Simon Cowell commented on Sunday that Wagner has been used as an instrument to derail the show. Given his surprising eloquence in rebutting Cheryl Cole’s prepared attack against him, he’s shown he’s more than able to think on his feet and be able to land some very damaging comments if he wants to. His charm and seeming innocence seem to give his words more weight too.
However, given the rumours flying around about him, like that he’s been buying weed, that he’s a sex pest or even that he tried to marry his own cousin, perhaps it might end up better for him that he doesn’t do too many interviews.
However, he seems to have won a fan in Stephen Fry:
