'Did I see him kiss Freddy Parker?' Viewers speculate that newly-crowned X Factor winner Matt Terry shared an over-excited exchange with ex-contestant on stage

• e-mail

The former contestants of this year's X Factor swarmed onto the stage on Sunday night to congratulate champion Matt Terry on his win.

But eagle-eyed fans of the show soon began to claim that they saw Matt receive quite the congratulatory gesture from one ex-contestant - Freddy Parker - as he marked his moment of victory.

As the likes of 5 After Midnight, Honey G and runner-up Saara Aalto surrounded Matt in a massive group hug in the centre of the stage, viewers took to Twitter to declare that they caught a glimpse of the two hunks sharing an affectionate kiss. 

'Did I see him kiss Freddy?' As Matt Terry was crowned the winner of The X Factor on Sunday night, fans speculated that he kissed former contestant Freddy Parker on stage

Matt was then dragged away from the rest of his co-stars by the show's host Dermot O'Leary to express his reaction to winning the X Factor crown.

Freddy could be seen in the background, clearly very emotional for his former-competitor, being hugged by fellow contestant Gifty Louise as they watched Matt make his winner's speech.

Both Matt, 23, and Freddy, 18, competed as part of Nicole Scherzinger's Boys category on the current season of the show, with Matt seamlessly sailing through the competition week-after-week and Freddy being voted off in Week Two.

Speculation: Fans of the show soon took to Twitter to express their views on Matt and Terry's close friendship

Close: Hours after Matt's win, Freddy Parker, left, took to Instagram to share a selfie with the victor, alongside the caption: 'My brother. You did it,' followed by a heart emoji

This hasn't stopped Freddy supporting his friend Matt through the process however, with Freddy championing the solo artist via Twitter, Instagram and Facebook, encouraging the public to vote for him. 

As soon as Matt was announced as the winner of the series, Freddy uploaded a cute snap to Instagram of him cuddling up to the champ, along with the caption 'My brother... you did it,' followed by a heart emoji. 

Matt was left astounded as he discovered he had beaten fellow hopeful Saara Aalto, 29, after the duo battled it out in the live show in Wembley Arena.

Group hug! Host Dermot O'Leary, left, looked on as the contestants swarmed Matt 

Emotional: Freddy could be seen in the background, clearly happy for his former-competitor, being hugged by Gifty Louise as they watched Matt make his winner's speech

Led by Nicole Scherzinger, the Bromley-born crooner reigned victorious in the show's 13th series after which he belted out the winner's single Christmas Comes Around, written by Ed Sheeran.

He is the eighth solo male to win the show, although his predecessors have often failed to find chart success - a curse Matt is no doubt aiming to defeat.

As host Dermot announced the news that he had trumped his rival, Matt's reaction was so dramatic that he collapsed to the floor shortly before scooping his mentor into his arms. 

Bromance in the air? Matt was then dragged away from the rest of his co-stars by the show's host Dermot O Leary, to express his reaction to winning the X Factor crown

The show's head honcho and chief judge, Simon Cowell lauded the rising star for his win as he said: 'Matt it's your night, it's an important record you know that' - a comment which could allude to his status as a male winner. 

As he belted out the winner's single his fellow finalists joined him on stage while he tearfully sang the record during which he was congratulated by his cohorts, who bundled on top of him in an overjoyed display.

It was at this point Tweets began emerging from viewers who caught a supposed glimpse of Freddy and Matt's giddy moment.  

Proud pal: Freddy is a proud supporter of his pal Matt, who was long one of the favourites to walk away with the coveted crown 

'Well is there something going on between Matt Terry and Freddy Parker on the X Factor? Me thinks there is!' one social media user typed speculatively.

'Freddy Parker & Matt Terry are definitely a thing!!' came another more certain post.

'Matt and Freddy an item? Is that true or just gossip?' another fan desperately wondered.

'Very glad #MattTerry won #XFactor well deserved and did I see him kiss @FreddyParker98 at the end I do hope so!!' came someone else's commentary.

Disbelief: Matt was left astounded as he discovered he had beat fellow hopeful Saara Aalto, 29, after the duo battled it out in the live show in Wembley Arena

Another tweeter typed '#MattTerry giving Freddy a lil kiss there...' followed by someone else who posted: 'That hug from behind and that kiss!'

Last month, it was alleged that a secret romance relationship had blossomed between two of the show's unnamed male contestants.

The alleged dalliance was being kept hidden by the pair - known to both be singers that had made it through to the live shows - after they struck up a relationship during the audition process.

It was reported that the relationship was so under wraps not even the show's judges and most of their fellow contestants were aware if it.

Bond: Throughout their time competing on the show, Freddy has shared snaps of himself posing with his close pal Matt 

According to The Daily Star, a same sex couple had been growing close after meeting during an earlier stage of the contest – but were keeping things quiet as their feelings developed. 

'Their family and friends know they are an item but they've kept it a secret from viewers and that's the way they want it for now,' the source said.  

After a night of celebrating his X Factor win, Matt looked notably fresh-faced as he made an early-morning appearance on ITV's Good Morning Britain.

Wearing a stylish black leather jacket, Matt told co-hosts Susanna Reid and Piers Morgan that he'd only had 'about two and a half hours' of sleep before making his appearance.

Cuddling up: The new friends been unabashed about showing their affection for one another

Close pals: Freddy has long been a strong supporter of Matt, despite leaving in Week Two

Still visibly elated, he said of his win - which saw him scoop 48 per cent of the vote over Saara's 40 per cent: 'I kind of didn't think I'd done it. I thought, "Woah, I can't believe this is happening!" To hear my name (announced as the winner) was a shock to me. It was amazing.'

He added: 'I still believe that this is happening to me. Honestly, I thought Saara had done it. She is amazing. She is one of the nicest people ever and she's so talented.'

Matt also revealed that in the short time since he's been crowned the winner, he's already received countless marriage proposals from older women.

'Of course, it's so much fun,' he said of the attention he's received from zealous female fans. 'It is a lot of fun. It's crazy. I've said yes so many times (to the proposals).'

Gratitude: Following his win, Matt has taken to Twitter to express his gratitude all around

Prompted by Piers to estimate how many proposals he's received, Matt eventually agreed that he's maybe had 'hundreds' of offers.

Given his new-found fame, Matt is enjoying a growing list of celebrity pals - most notably Sam Smith, whose songs were covered by Matt during the competition and in the final.

'I was just on London Bridge and I bumped into Sam Smith and his sister! I have no idea how it happened. I just started speaking to him and he said, "Just be yourself and stay true to who you are.' I've taken it all on board.

'I haven't spoke to him since the X Factor win, but he did say he was really proud of my performance of his song, which means so much.'

In touch: As seen on Freddy's Instagram account, the pair have stayed in touch throughout Matt's hard-fought rise to the top on the televised singing 

He also spoke of Louis Tomlinson's brave performance on the show's final, just days after losing his beloved mother to cancer.

'Honestly, to see him up there, all of us on stage and the entire arena, could see his bravery. I don't know id he could have done it. He was so brave to stand up there and sing that song. Absolute, complete trooper.'

Matt has grown increasingly close to mentor Nicole Scherzinger, who even broke down during an exchange with the contestant on final night.

She told him that he was the reason she returned to judging the competition as she gushed about her pride for him.

Back on stage: Freddy made a return to the ITV show on Saturday night to perform with the rest of the season's 

Similarly, it was Nicole who was first to receive a congratulatory hug from the winner, who swept her off her feet before doing the same for runner-up Saara. 

After the show, the pair discussed their well-talked about relationship, calling it 'brother and sisterly'.

'Since day one she's been there with open arms,' Matt said. 'And she's made me feel like I can go to her with anything I need.

'If I have any concerns, and she's just like "I'm your big sister", and that for me is so refreshing to have that. So I hit the jackpot with you.'

Such a Doll! He was photographed receiving a hug from his mentor, former Pussycat Doll Nicole Scherzinger, who made a triumphant return to the show this year

She added: 'It's so funny because they asked me to do a quote, and I was like "he's like my little brother", and I feel like I'm part of the family and I'm so proud.'

Controversially, Matt told Now magazine that Nicole was 'definitely' his celebrity crush, this week. 

He's certainly been inundated with female attention after being tagged with eligible status ever since his first audition.

'It’s been so cool!' he told the magazine. 'To see what they think of me… all of the letters have been really cute. 

'But I do get a lot of older ladies saying that my voice does something to them, which is really strange.'

Secret romance: A love affair has been blossoming behind the scenes of The X Factor between two contestants that even the judges don't know about, a report claimed last month

After all, it was during his first meeting with the judges that he revealed he was bouncing back from a break-up from his girlfriend and performed a song written about his heartache. 

The X Factor has had a long history of decidedly close friendships and romances and this year is no different – it brought together couple Emily Middlemas, 18, and Ryan Lawrie, 20.

And arguably fellow 1D star Liam Payne, 23, and Cheryl Fernandez-Versini, 33, owe their relationship to the show – having originally met in 2008 when Liam auditioned in front of Cheryl when he was just 14.

Similarly, Zayn Malik - of One Direction fame - dated Rebecca Ferguson during the show and even went on to share a highly-publicised engagement to Perrie Edwards.  

No secret: Emily Middlemas and Ryan Lawrie have been very open about their romance behind the scenes of The X Factor