Heerah hopes to inspire dads
Jason Heerah hopes his time on The X Factor will inspire other dads to follow their dreams.
The father-of-two was eliminated from the Seven show on Monday but left on a high, with the judges awarding him a standing ovation for his final performance.
Heerah told AAA he wanted other dads to see his journey through to the talent quest's top six and know they could do it too.
"I feel like I've come off the show kind of showing the importance of love for family and having a passion for something, whether it is music or something else," the 31-year-old said.
"To other musos out there who are parents and feel like they are just slugging it out and their dream is over - it's not. Dream big, take a leap of faith and just do it."
The amiable drummer- turned-frontman is still smiling despite his elimination, knowing that he will soon return home to Melbourne to be with his family - wife Cathriona, son Koby, 7, and daughter Kayla, 4.
"The other day Kayla said 'Daddy I want you to win X Factor and then come home'," Heerah said.
"I can't wait to hug her and say 'Daddy is winning in all sorts of ways'.
"The experience that got me through the whole thing was when I told Koby I was going on the show and he had tears of joy in his eyes, because they really do watch the show and have favourites.
"The thought of Daddy being among them made them think I was cool."
With The X Factor top five announced earlier this week, Heerah said he wanted Over-25s teammate, Perth's own Reigan Derry, to win the title this year.
