Our spies tell us X Factor winner Sam Bailey has been filming near Cheshire Oaks for ITV’s forthcoming Text Santa charity telethon – possibly along with another of the channel’s big stars.

Sam, who won the talent show in 2013, went along to Cheshire Reindeer Lodge with a TV crew, where she is believed to have belted out the Mariah Carey classic ‘All I Want for Christmas Is You’ in a sort of duet with tabloid talk show host Jeremy Kyle.

ITV and managers at the Reindeer Lodge in Stanney Lane, Little Stanney, are remaining tight-lipped but the venue has all the ingredients for the perfect festive backdrop - Christmas trees and even real reindeer.

Cheshire Reindeer Lodge at Little Stanney, Ellesmere Port

The Text Santa show will be broadcast later this month but its host Phillip Schofield has throughout Tuesday been promoting the TV event by popping up in different shows including The Jeremy Kyle Show, The Chase, I'm A Celebrity and Emmerdale, wearing Christmas jumpers and ‘cunningly concealed’. Viewers are encouraged to tweet #PipKnit to @ITVTextSanta each time they spot the Schofe.

London-born Sam has not spoken about her role in Text Santa but in a cryptic message on the day of filming, she wrote on Twitter: “What I just did was soooo much fun!!! Cold.....but fun!! Xx”

And then a few days later the Sam Bailey Fan Club posted an amateur video of Sam, a former prison officer, singing with Jeremy Kyle who arguably should be locked up for his own vocal abilities. Jeremy even admits it himself, saying: “Can’t sing for anything!”

Alll will be revealed when Text Santa is broadcast on Friday December 18. Phillip Schofield will be the main host but other presenters include Christine Bleakley, Amanda Holden, Stephen Mulhern, Holly Willoughby, Olly Murs, Caroline Flack, Alesha Dixon and Paddy McGuinness. This year the appeal will support three UK-based charities; Macmillan Cancer Support, Make-A-Wish Foundation and Save the Children.