Olly Murs has admitted that he never thought he'd get signed to a record label.

The singer was a runner-up on the X Factor in 2009 and he subsequently penned a deal with Simon Cowell's Syco imprint.

However, he told the Mirror that he never actually thought he'd land a contract following his failure to beat Joe McElderry on the X Factor.

Murs said: "The X Factor was one of the best experiences of my life – it was full of happiness, laughter, tears, stress...I met some of the biggest stars in the world, like Whitney Houston and Robbie Williams.

"But when I got knocked out, all I wanted to do was go home and see my family. I’d missed my brother’s wedding the weekend before and I’d wanted to be there. I didn’t expect to get signed at all, but then two weeks later, I did."

The Brit meanwhile released new album 'Never Been Better' today (November 24) in the UK.

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Watch Olly Murs on the X Factor below: