A LITTLE girl smiled with delight as she saw a personal video message from her favourite star and X Factor finalist.

Bethany Hambleton, 11, of was hoping to meet X Factor finalist Che Chesterman when he visited his home town of Basildon but she was not well enough.

The brave youngster suffers from Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome, a connective tissue disorder.

After a friend of the family contacted the Echo and said Bethany was too ill to go to the town centre to meet him, our reporter asked the X Factor star to record a message for her when he met him at the event. 

When we surprised her with the video at her home in Helmores, Laindon, yesterday Beth said: “It’s amazing, I didn’t think I would even be able to see Che let along have a personal video message from him.

“I was very surprised when the Echo reporter and photographer came to my house and I was so excited to see the message.

“I have watched Che on the telly and have been a huge fan since his first X Factor audition. I have also voted for him five times.

“As Christmas presents go this is a pretty good one. I want to say a big thank you to the Echo for arranging this!”

Mum Debbie Hambleton, 40, said it was wonderful to have something that puts a smile on her daughter's face.

She added: “Beth has been very sick and just come home from a three week stay in hospital so it is worth anything to have a smile on her face.

“She really deserves it. I’m not sure who contacted the Echo to ask for the video message and we say a big thank you to the Echo.

“I had put something on Beth’s Facebook page asking for someone who was going to see Che to get a signature of a picture of him because we couldn’t go.

“When we had the phone call from the Echo, both Beth’s dad and I were so shocked and excited about this.

“We kept it a secret from Beth until yesterday when the reporter came to surprise her.”