X Factor winner Alexandra Burke was hot favourite to land the Christmas number one today after beating her rivals to the talent show crown.

The 20-year-old singer won a £1 million recording contract after wowing millions of viewers during last night's final. She beat boy band JLS, with Northern Irish teenager Eoghan Quigg coming in third.

Burke described her triumph as "the best feeling ever" and promptly announced plans to duet with mentor Cheryl Cole's band Girls Aloud. The north Londoner will also make an appearance on Christmas Day's one-off Top of the Pops show.

Bookmakers William Hill and Ladbrokes have both made her clear favourite to top the chart this Christmas with her cover of Leonard Cohen's Hallelujah. Burke's chances were rated as 1/8 by Ladbrokes, and 1/5 by Hill.

Ladbrokes spokesman Nick Weinberg said: "It's as close to a certainty as you're likely to find."

Burke, who received most of the more than eight million votes cast last night, said: "I am in disbelief. I keep saying to my friends and family, 'This isn't real'.

"I cannot believe it's happened, but I am so happy. This is the best feeling ever."

She added: "I want to do a duet with Girls Aloud. That will happen I guarantee it."

During last night's show, Burke duetted with her heroine Beyonce Knowles on the song Listen.

Beyonce's appearance was only confirmed on Friday night and Burke said, when they first met, she cried on the singer's shoulder for five minutes and told her what an inspiration she had been.

Cole praised Burke for keeping her cool while singing with her idol. "I would have hit the deck. I wouldn't have been able to sing. For her to stand there with Beyonce and even get a note out is amazing."

Burke said she had been reluctant to apply for this year's show after Louis Walsh rejected her three years ago, but her family had begged her to try again.

She said she was thrilled just to be signed by a record company. "I can't wait to get started. This is my life," she said.

Burke's love of ballads has led to comparisons with Leona Lewis, who won the contest two years ago and has had enormous success in both the UK and USA.

"If I could have even an inch of her career, I'd be a happy woman," she said.

Burke and Cole said they had become firm friends while working together and Cole described the singer as "an inspiration". The new X Factor champion revealed her mentor had given her angel wing diamond necklace which she planned to wear every day and described as "the best present in the world".

Burke, who admitted to having a soft spot for US singer-songwriter Chris Brown, added that she also planned to stay in touch with the other contestants.

The show's bosses said Burke took a commanding 58.34 per cent share of the votes for last night's final two acts. JLS took 41.66 per cent.

After the first part of the show, Burke was on 44.02 per cent, JLS on 30.65 per cent and Eoghan Quigg on 25.33 per cent.

Burke's mother, Melissa Bell, who sang with 80s band Soul II Soul and is awaiting a transplant after suffering diabetes-induced kidney failure, managed to attend the final last night despite her poor health. She has refused her daughter's offer to donate a kidney in case she develops the same illness.

"It means the world to me that she was here," said Burke, who has two brothers and a sister. "I owe a lot of it to my family. When I wanted to give up, they pushed me. I'm going to buy them a dog."

Her debut single is already available to download and when X Factor host Dermot O'Leary showed Burke a copy of the CD which will go on sale tomorrow, she looked stunned and grabbed it out of his hand.

Simon Cowell, the head judge, described her version of the Leonard Cohen song as "incredible".

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