TRANENT teenager Caitlyn Vanbeck is among the contestants at bootcamp in this year’s series of TV talent show The X Factor.

The 17-year-old auditioned in Manchester earlier this year and, although her audition was never aired on television, she was unanimously put through to the next round by the judges.

Caitlyn, a former Ross High School pupil, performed Ed Sheeran’s ‘I See Fire’, and impressed the star judges enough to reach bootcamp.

And the delighted county teenager took to social media to thank all those who have got in touch.

She said: “This is literally the craziest thing ever. I have so many messages and I’m trying to reply to them all – thank you so much for your support.”

Caitlyn, of Elder Street, made it through to the second challenge at bootcamp after negotiating her way through the group challenge. She added: “Super excited to see what next week brings on the show!”

It is not the first time the talented teenager – Edinburgh’s Got Talent winner in 2011 – has entered a national competition; earlier this year she entered Britain’s Got Talent, but did not make it through the auditions stage.

She told the Courier: “I auditioned for The X Factor near the beginning of the year as part of the producer rounds. There are two or three rounds before the actual audition in front of the judges. So I was lucky enough to get the call a month after my producer audition saying I had made it to the judges round in Manchester in July.

“Being thrown into the environment of The X Factor is pretty scary and surreal – it has been an emotional rollercoaster so far."

Dad Paul told the Courier he was proud of his daughter’s achievements. He said: “We’re all absolutely over the moon.

“She has watched The X Factor through all the years and normally when the adverts are on she gives us a song, so to be in it and on the telly, she’s just delighted.”

And Paul, 43, also revealed his daughter turned down a chance at another television series.

“She had been accepted for The Voice, but she decided to stick with The X Factor instead," he said.

“I think it would have been pretty difficult contractually to do the both and she decided that she can do The Voice next year if she isn’t successful this year.”

Caitlyn added: “Who knows what the future holds but I’m not going to stop at the first hurdle, so we’ll see what happens!”

And they hope the local community get behind the talented 17-year-old. Find out how she fares by watching The X Factor on ITV this Sunday at 7pm.