Matt Cardle has admitted that he left his label Sony to avoid "rotting" away.

The singer won the X Factor in 2010 - with One Direction only coming in third place - before launching his debut album 'Letters' in 2011.

The record hit No.2 in the UK charts upon release but his achievements have been dwarfed by the likes of One Direction, who have become global stars.

Speaking to The Sun, Cardle said that he left Sony earlier this year so that he could become a "priority" again instead of being moved out of the limelight. He said:

"I just wanted to be a priority - at that stage of the game I had to be. If I wasn't, I would have rotted on Sony and nothing would have happened."

The X Factor man continued: "I would just have been left to get on with it while One Direction ruled the planet. Which is brilliant for them - I'm so proud of them - but I needed to be a bit selfish. I asked Sony to let me go and they said OK."

Cardle is set to release his second album 'The Fire' on October 29 via SO What? Recordings.