Aussie child star unrecognisable in new photos: 'You aged so fine'

Former Aussie child star Jai Waetford, who found fame on The X Factor in 2013 at the age of 14, is all grown up now and looks very different! Jai, who's now 25, was the second runner-up on the fifth season of The X Factor, behind Taylor Henderson and Dami Im, who won the season.

The young star taught himself how to play guitar by watching YouTube and left school a year after competing on The X Factor and finishing year 10. After the show, Jai signed a music deal with Sony Music Australia and he toured alongside his fellow X Factor contestants for The X Factor Live Tour.

He has continued to release music over the years but has also been working on other creative pursuits, like acting.

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The star worked on the iconic Aussie soap Neighbours in 2016 as Angus Beaumont-Hannay, and now, eight years later, he is set to star in the new Stan Original Series, Critical Incident.

Critical Incident, which will be released on the Aussie streaming service later this year, is a contemporary crime drama shot in Blacktown, Granville, Parramatta, and Greenacre and it depicts life in Sydney's western suburbs. The series will explore the relationship between police and the community, particularly people of colour, and the consequences of policing on the most vulnerable.

The singer and actor now lives in Dubai, where he is creating more music.

Fans surprised by Jai's new look

Fans who have stumbled across Jai's Instagram account have been left surprised to realise he's all grown up now, with one user commenting, "Damn 😫😩 you aged so fine."

"I'm not comparing at all but you are like an Australian Justin Bieber 😮‍💨," another said.

"John Cena," a third wrote, comparing the singer to the American WWE fighter turned actor.

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"He looks John Cena now," another YouTube commenter agreed.

"Am I the only one who sees that he looks like Heath Ledger?" someone else said.

"Little X Factor boy's all grown up 😌," another user wrote.

"Whoa! You went from cute X Factor sensation, to slightly awkward, to hot and steamy 🥵," someone else said.

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