A former X Factor contestant has been remanded in custody after appearing in court accused of attempting to murder a social media influencer by allegedly driving her car into a crowd outside a central London nightclub. Gabrielle Carrington, 29, is charged over an incident that took place in the early hours of Sunday morning near the Inca London in Soho. Prosecutors allege she deliberately drove her vehicle at Klaudia Zakrzewska, leaving the victim with life-threatening injuries.

Carrington, who rose to fame as part of the group Miss Dynamix on The X Factor in 2013, appeared at Westminster Magistrates' Court on Tuesday. During the hearing, she was ordered to remain in custody ahead of a further appearance at the Old Bailey on 19 May. As she was led away, she reportedly made a heart gesture toward family and friends in the courtroom.

The court heard that the incident unfolded around 4:30am following a disturbance outside the nightclub. Prosecutor Rizwan Amin described a chaotic scene involving multiple people, including members of the public and security staff attempting to intervene in an altercation.

According to the prosecution, Carrington was seen arriving in her car on nearby Argyll Street before becoming involved in a confrontation. After re-entering the vehicle, it is alleged she drove off, mounting the pavement and striking Zakrzewska. The victim was reportedly dragged beneath the car as it continued moving forward.

During the same, a security guard, Anoush Chyche, sustained serious injuries described as life-changing. Another woman, Latisha Armstrong, was also struck and suffered a fractured wrist.

Outlining the allegations, prosecutor Rizwan Amin told the court: "The scene can only be described as lots of people shouting, it could be described as a melee, so to speak. Many individuals who were there were from a nearby nightclub including security staff members. The full extent of the incident wasn't appreciated at the time officers had attended."

He added, "Further checks of CCTV show that Ms Carrington had arrived in Argyll Street in her car, which was nearby to the Inca nightclub. During this time, she seemed to have an altercation with a male as she exited her car. This altercation escalated, involving several other members of the public. Security staff tried to intervene to separate those involved. Ms Carrington was then seen to re-enter the vehicle."

Mr Amin said the vehicle "immediately moved off and sharply mounted the pavement." He continued: "During this manoeuvre, the vehicle has struck Ms Zakrzewska who was positioned to the front side of the vehicle and she was dragged forwards and dropped between the vehicle and a metal bike rack."

"As the vehicle kept moving forward, it fully took her underneath the vehicle and at the same time had struck a security member of staff, Anoush Chyche, who was on the pavement."

Carrington faces multiple charges, including attempted murder, grievous bodily harm with intent, assault occasioning actual bodily harm, dangerous driving, and drink driving. The court was told she was nearly twice the legal alcohol limit at the time, recording 61 microgrammes of alcohol per 100 millilitres of breath, exceeding the legal limit of 35. She did not enter any pleas during the hearing.

The Metropolitan Police confirmed that Zakrzewska remains in hospital in a critical condition, while investigations into the incident continue.