Melton gran appears live on TV as lookalike for X Factor star Honey G

The 53-year-old was invited along to the Xtra Factor, the companion show to the ratings topping ITV singing contest, after daughter Lisa sent them a photo of her mum posing as the 35-year-old rapper.

And mother-of-four Cath appeared live on the show on Saturday night alongside 10 other Honey G lookalikes from around the country, as well as mixing with judges Simon Cowell and Louis Walsh.

“It’s amazing that one week we were joking about me looking like Honey G and the next week I’m on stage on the actual show with her,” she said.

“I was really, really nervous before it went live and the audience was absolutely packed when we went on stage.

“But Honey G was lovely - we met her and had a picture taken with her.

“Simon Cowell was smiling when he saw us all and Louis Walsh shook my hand.”

It all came about when Cath’s son, Simon, recognised a similarity between his mum and Honey G while watching the X Factor.

He texted to say ‘mum, what are you doing on the X Factor?’, which prompted Cath to put on a cap and sunglasses, which are the rapper’s trademark on the show.

A photo was taken and Lisa secretly emailed it to the programme, which had been seeking Honey G lookalikes on social media using the hashtag #MummyG.

Cath, of Framland Drive, recalled: “My daughter heard back from the show and called me on Friday to ask if I wanted to go down to London to appear on the X Factor.

“I thought she was joking but she said ‘you can say no if you want’.

“I just thought I couldn’t not go when I had an opportunity like that.”

Cath, who works at a nursery and at breakfast and after-school clubs at Swallowdale Primary School in Melton, travelled down to the TV studios on Saturday afternoon with husband David and 13-year-old daughter Abby.

After donning a cap, sunglasses and rapper-style jacket she was interviewed on the show with the other lookalikes by presenters Rylan Clark-Neal and Matt Edmondson.

The rest of the family, including her parents Neville and Joyce Kent, watched on television. Lisa was with university friends in north Wales while in Melton Simon was cheering on his mum with girlfriend Kirsty and six-week-old baby daughter Winnie while son Wayne was doing likewise with girlfriend Claire.

Cath added: “I think Honey G is doing so well because she’s different and she’s a lot of fun to watch.

“I was over the moon when she got through again at the weekend because my stardom carries on.

“If it turned into a career as a lookalike I wouldn’t say no.”