Little Mix Win The X Factor 2011

11 December 2011, 21:26 | Updated: 11 December 2011, 21:45

The girl group defeat Marcus Collins in the final of this year's competition.

Little Mix have won this year's series of The X Factor.

The girl group, who are the first group to win the programme, defeated Marcus Collins in the final, which was held at Wembley Arena in London.

There were emotional scenes as Dermot O'Leary announced this year's winner, with Little Mix's mentor Tulisa Contostavlos breaking down in tears.

"We're so grateful and thankful to everyone that voted," singer Jade said. The band will now release a cover of Damien Rice's 'Cannonball' as the official winner's single.

Little Mix had earlier performed their cover of En Vogue's 'Don't Let Go', which had proved to be one of the highlights of the series with the judges.

This year's final of The X Factor also featured a performance from Coldplay, who delighted fans with a rendition of 'Charlie Brown' and 'Paradise'.

Westlife also appeared on the show, which began with a performance from all of this year's finalists.