The singer has shed a whopping FOUR STONE to transform his chubby appearance and now looks trim and trendy.
Craig, 24, wowed the judges on the ITV talent show back in 2011 with his powerful vocals.
But cruel online jibes about his weight dented the former biscuit factory worker's confidence and he was eliminated in Week 7 of the live shows.
Skinny - Craig posts new slim shot of himself on Twitter
Mentor Gary Barlow sowed the seeds for a healthier lifestyle though - helping Craig train and offering diet advice.
Since then, Craig has been out of the spotlight working on his music and shedding the pounds.
He told Now magazine last October: “I live on omelettes with two yolks and three whites – to get my protein – with ham and cheese or tomato.
“I used to survive on crisps and sandwiches. I don’t eat a lot of fat and I’ve cut right down on sugar. Eggs are the way forward.”
Before - Craig faced cruel jibes over his weight when he was on X Factor in 2011.
The results of all that hard work are obvious - he looks great.
Gone are the Bieber fringe and baggy clothes and in their place is a chiselled, bearded pop-star-in-the-making.
And Craig admits he is truly happy with his look now.
He told the Liverpool Daily Post: "I'm at a stage now where I'm not chasing pounds away - I'm just doing it to keep fit and healthy."
Craig also admits he waited until now to release his album - which goes on pre-sale today - as he was "wasn't ready" straight after the show.
Working out - mentor Gary Barlow ran with Craig and Marcus Collins while they were on X Factor.
He said: "When I finished The X Factor I wasn't ready to do it.
"I think the best thing about taking this time out is that I'm growing into a young man. I'm an adult now with a mortgage and bills to pay.
"I've got a different writing style to the music I made after the show. My voice is different too, but in a good way."
The Liverpool-born star - who came out as gay after the show - has got an unlikely fan too.
Robbie Williams is on speed-dial and the pair swap notes regularly on songwriting.
Trendy ... Craig Colton is unrecognisable in photoshoot to promote his debut albumLiverpool Echo
Craig said back in October: “I wrote a song called Beautiful Surprise on the toilet.
"It was about 4am and I rang Robbie immediately. Yes, I did get off the toilet at that point.
"He said: ‘Send it to me right now.’ I always send him my stuff and he sends it back with little paragraphs of what he thinks. He said it was genius: ‘If you don’t want some of these lines, I’ll steal them!’”
No doubt Craig will be flushed with success before long too.
His album, rumoured to be called True, is set for release later this year.
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