British PR guru Max Clifford has said Irish X Factor sensations John and Edward Grimes could disappear after the show unless they find suitable management.

Clifford, who represents some of the biggest names in British showbusiness, said that despite an avalanche of publicity and tabloid coverage for the twins, their manager Louis Walsh may need help in turning turn their fame into something lasting.

"The future of the Grimes boys depends on someone getting hold of them very quickly and making the best of it. In the right hands the Grimes could be millionaires after X Factor. In the wrong hands, it could all be over for them in five minutes," said Clifford.

Their future was more likely to be as hosts of a TV show aimed at young people than as pop stars, he said.

"You have to think of what the twins could do and being a TV presenter isn't too difficult," he said. "That's something they would be suited to and could manage – something aimed at the kind of young people they appeal to. That's why the two of them hosting a talent show for a younger age group would work. The show's premise could be, 'We were really lucky because of X Factor, now we want to give other young people the same chance at fame'."

Clifford (66) thinks the boys' manager, Irish X Factor judge Louis Walsh, may not be the right man to secure them such a TV show.

"Louis Walsh is not in entertainment. He is in music. To my knowledge, Louis has never produced a successful entertainment act in the sense of Ant and Dec. The Grimes need to be working with people who have the right TV connections, which could then lead to lucrative sponsorship which could be worth millions of pounds," said Clifford.

The publicist dismissed the booing by some members of the X Factor audience each week when the twins – colloquially known as 'Jedward' – perform. There is also a Facebook campaign to have them eliminated from the ITV programme.

"Everybody knows they're dreadful singers. Their selling point is that everybody, including Simon Cowell, acknowledges that they are nice lads. To have them universally liked, they need to be really involved with other kids, visiting sick children in hospital and hospices. I think it's very possible for them to be embraced by everyone. For example when I started looking after Jade Goody the year before she died, she was the most unpopular person in Britain after what happened in Celebrity Big Brother. Yet when she died, there was an outpouring of grief from all over Britain. In that year, people had got to know who Jade Goody really was and grown to love her."

Monitoring the saturation coverage of the Dubliners in the British press last week, Clifford said he "hoped the boys had someone telling them not to take it all too seriously".

He added: "I don't know if they can win X Factor but it is a public vote. If I was Simon Cowell, I would keep my mouth shut and stop slating them. Otherwise they'll definitely win."