BGT finalist credits Niall Horan for inspiration

Britain's Got Talent's Jordan O'Keefe credits Niall Horan with spurring him on toward victory.

The finalist met the future One Direction member when they were both unknowns auditioning as singers for 'The X Factor' in 2010.

While Niall went through and became one of the five members of the boy band formed on the show, Jordan was rejected and although it smarted on him, he's spurred on by seeing how well his friend has done.

He told The Sun newspaper: "We were stood next to each other and he was playing his guitar. I asked if I could borrow it to play something.

"We got chatting. He went on to find fame in One Direction and I went home and cried after not getting through. It was so hard.

"When he got through to the final I was so happy for him but it was quite hard to watch and see him go on to so much success.

"He was much more confident and a bit more mature than me in that audition, but it did make me think, if only I'd have got through, I could have ended up in the biggest boy band in the world.

"It drove me on and made me try harder. It made me think if he can do it so can I. If I go on to have half his success then I will be so happy."

Niall, 19, has also given support to Jordan, also 19, since he appeared on the show.

After his audition was shown on TV - where he sung One Direction's 'Little Things' - the boy band star tweeted: "Jordan O'Keefe from bgt last night... first of all thanks for doin little things bro! That's a serious voice you've got on ya (sic)."

Jordan won his place in the final after his spine chilling rendition of 'I Will Always Love You', which he sung for his friend Kerry Crocker who died suddenly during heart surgery aged just 19 last Wednesday.

Jordan can be seen singing in the 'Britain's Got Talent' final on ITV on Saturday.