X FACTOR star Jahmene Douglas showed his support for a campaign to get a little boy the operation he needs to get him walking when he returned to the town this week.

About 28,000 people packed into Wharf Green to watch the former Asda worker turn on the Christmas lights with mentor Nicole Scherzinger on Wednesday, which was the final part of a whirlwind homecoming visit.

He went to Abbey Meads Primary School as part of the visit, where he met seven-year-old pupil Kieran Pike whose brother Jack suffers from cerebral palsy.

Jack’s family are fundraising for an operation to get three-year-old Jack walking, and Kieran gave Jahmene and Nicole wristbands supporting the cause.

Jack and Kieran’s mum, Kylie, of Penhill, said: “Kieran was chosen to go and give Nicole a cuddle.

“He spoke to Jahmene and gave them both wristbands.

“He gave a blue one to Jahmene and a pink one to Nicole.

“Jahmene put his on straight away and Nicole put hers in her pocket.

“He told him ‘this is for my little brother, can you wear it? He needs to walk’. The teaching assistant then told Jahmene and Nicole about Jack.

“The brother of Nicole’s boyfriend, Lewis Hamilton, has cerebral palsy so I think it is a cause close to her heart too.

“I couldn’t believe it when I found out he was wearing it.

“I was so happy, it brought a tear to my eye.

“You think famous people would push it to the side – I can’t believe he put it on.”

Jahmene also visited Gorse Hill Community Centre as part of the visit, which former X Factor contestant and ITV Daybreak showbiz presenter Rylan Clark described as the biggest homecoming tour ever.

Jack, who has spastic diplegia cerebral palsy, is waiting to hear whether the NHS will fund an operation at Frenchay Hospital to get him walking.

The surgery, known as the Selective Dorsal Rhizotomy operation, is a complex neurosurgical technique which targets nerves in the spine to treat spasticity in the lower limbs.

The family have raised £28,500 to pay for the £23,000 operation and physiotherapy afterwards.

Kylie is hoping Jahmene will wear the wristband again for the final on Saturday and wrote to him on Facebook after the event.

Her comment, which has received 691 likes and 52 comments so far, said: “My lil boy gave you a blue band today at his school with Jack Pike on it.

“He asked me to ask you can you wear it Sat night.

“It’s for his lil brother we are fundraising to have an op on his spine to walk.

“U may have seen him in Swindon paper – Jack Pike.

“His fundraising site is Tiptoes for Footsteps on Facebook. Please look and like x x x”

Visit the Tiptoes2Footsteps page on Facebook for further information.

Jahmene will battle it out against James Arthur and Christopher Maloney in an attempt to be crowned the X Factor winner at 8pm tomorrow and 7.40pm on Sunday on ITV1.