Gareth GatesOne of the first Pop Idol stars, Gareth Gates has been dumped by his record label, Sony BMG - and in an ironic twist, it’s new reality tv music stars that’s caused him to get the boot.

“The record label felt there was no way for them to take Gareth’s career forward,” an inside source revealed. “He had been working hard on trying to relaunch himself with a new sound and new image.”

“But his latest material wasn’t strong enough to compete with fresh talent being churned out on programmes like X Factor.”