Chico, whose real name is Yousseph Slimani, told Willesden Magistrates’ Court that he drank Famous Grouse whisky for six hours after losing a third friend to cancer.
The singer, now 55, reached the quarter finals of the TV talent show’s 2005 series and later released a number one single, It’s Chico Time.
He wore a maroon silk shirt and placed his cowboy hat on the table in front when he arrived for his trial on Thursday.
Slimani was convicted of driving a Vauxhall Astra with 40 microgrammes of alcohol in 100 millilitres of breath in Chase Way, Southgate, on December 13, when the legal limit is 35mg.
He was disqualified from driving for 12 months and fined. The court heard he has been heavily in debt and as a result faced county court proceedings.
During his evidence the defendant had with him a book that he said he was writing at the time of the alleged offence, titled The Secret 19. Cancer Questions Worth Asking.
He said he consumed Famous Grouse whisky between 1am and 7am and then Nyquil at 5.30pm – a cold and flu medicine similar to Night Nurse – before he was pulled over at about 6.30pm that evening.
Slimani, of north London, told the court: “It was after a third bereavement of one of my dearest friends, which was just devastating.
“All young people in their 50s with terminal cancers that have passed on – non-smokers, non-drinkers, several cancers – and basically are not here, sadly.
“On that fateful day, I’m teetotal, I don’t drink, and it felt like I was going out of my mind, couldn’t take it, so I drank.”
He later told the court he has not drunk alcohol since.
The defendant claimed he had been taking Nyquil for “a flu which you may call long Covid” that “kept coming and going” and has been documented on his social media channels.
He did not inform police when asked if he had consumed other drugs or medicines, and said this was “because when I got arrested, and they were taking me to the police station, my mind was literally going at 600,000mph”.
He added: “And when I got to the police station all I could think of was the implications of me being arrested for something that goes completely against what I am and what I do.”
This included his sobriety and charity work.
He later said his fears “sadly have all come true” and these were of “the press, the loss of my reputation, the loss of work – everything has happened, it has been a catastrophe”.
His solicitors told a toxicologist that he consumed 810ml of Famous Grouse whisky and 30ml of an unspecified Nyquil product that contained alcohol, the court heard.
The toxicologist, Sarah Morley, calculated that the Nyquil would have contributed to 2mg per 100ml of alcohol on his breath.
Ms Morley also told the court: “I can’t verify if the information provided to me has been accurate or not”.
Arresting officer Pc Yuksel said he was watching Slimani speak to a fellow officer about a separate matter when he noticed the defendant’s “quite vivid” facial expressions that were “almost joyful”.
Giving evidence, he said he smelt alcohol on the former singer’s breath, adding: “He was very animated with his facial features, they were very vivid and his demeanour seemed a bit – I don’t know how best to describe it – but under the influence of alcohol.
“I asked him if he had consumed any alcohol, then his demeanour changed.”
The police officer said: “He appeared quite shocked and his demeanour just changed to very defensive, from very happy and expressive to very defensive when asked that question.”
The former X Factor contestant failed a breath test but was “calm and compliant” when he was arrested on suspicion of drink driving, he said.
He was then taken to a police station and breathalysed again.
Slimani was ordered to pay a £600 fine, £240 surcharge and £620 in costs by District Judge Mark Jabbitt.
He was offered a drink drivers’ rehabilitation scheme that if completed will reduce his qualification by a quarter.
The judge said: “It is inevitable that I will find the case proven.”
He added that he is “generally sympathetic” to Slimani’s bereavements but not to excessive drinking or taking medication without checking the effect it has on driving.
