X Factor’s Chico Admits Drink-Driving, Banned for 12 Months
Chico had broken his sobriety after losing a friend just hours before.
Published April 10 2026, 10:46 a.m. ET
Chino was arrested for drinking and driving hours after a friend's demise.
X Factor star Chico, now 55, has pleaded guilty to a drink-driving offense. He was arrested for driving a car under the influence of alcohol and cold medicine he had taken earlier that day.
Chino was under the influence of alcohol and cold meds when he was driving.
At Willesden Magistrates’ Court, Chico confessed he rarely drinks. He told the court, "I don’t drink, and it felt like I was going out of my mind, couldn’t take it, so I drank." The court found he had 40 mg of alcohol per 100 ml of breath, exceeding the legal limit of 35 mg.
Chico, known legally as Yousseph Sliman, revealed that his reason for breaking his sobriety was that he had lost a friend to cancer just hours prior.
Chico has Ben Disqualified From Driving For 12 Months
As part of his sentence, Chico will be banned from driving for 12 months and fined. The court considered his financial troubles, noting he was heavily in debt. At the time of his arrest, Chico was writing a book titled The Secret 19 Cancer Questions Worth Asking, with a manuscript in his possession.
An X User reacting to the news of Chico being arrested.
Sliman also told the court that since the day he was arrested for the offense, he has not touched alcohol. He was ordered to pay a fine of 600 euros, a 240 euro surcharge and 620 in costs. A drink driver’s rehabilitation scheme was offered to the star as well. Upon the completion of the scheme, about a quarter of his time, a disqualified driver would be knocked out.
Chico Was One Of The Most Memorable Contestants on X-Factor
Chico made it to the semi-finals of the show, coming in fifth overall. His tenure on the reality TV show was filled with the star choosing to jump into Sharon Osbourne's pool when the competition had a round where contestants were invited to the judges' homes. The single that Chico ended up writing after, It's Chico Time, ended up topping the charts for two weeks in 2006. The actor would also feature in other reality competitions like Dancing on Ice.
Chico's "golden moment" made for great television.
The star suffered a stroke in 2018 during routine gig work. The Mirror reported, after speaking to his family: "This has been a great shock to Chico, his wife and their two children, also his close friends and family. We thank you in advance for giving Chico and the family some privacy at this time. Chico is now undergoing further tests, and further statements will be released shortly."