AceShowbiz - Vinnie Jones was a surprise final addition to the live show line up of "The X Factor: Celebrity" on Saturday, October 19) after initially pulling out of auditions following his wife Tanya's tragic death.

The 54-year-old sportsman and actor was left devastated when his wife Tanya passed away in July after losing her battle with cancer, and the sad loss came at the time the soccer star-turned-actor was set to fly to Los Angeles to audition for the show.

While the "X-Men: The Last Stand" actor had not been mentioned throughout the preliminary rounds so far, his appearance in the singing competition was confirmed by Simon Cowell in the closing minutes of the episode, when he called Vinnie and offered him a pass straight to the live shows in London.

The music mogul spoke to the star via phone and asked if he would still be willing to feature in the live episodes of the show, to which he answered a definite, "Yes."

Simon told him: "We'd love you to be on the live shows this year, we'd welcome you and give you all the help you need."

Vinnie added he'd be "honoured" to appear on the show because his wife had encouraged him to compete before she tragically passed, and insisted his family had come "closer together" over the past few months.

"Tan's pushed me really Simon, we knew it was all going on, and I put it to the family and Tan was very excited about it," he added of Tanya's enthusiasm for him to take part.

Vinnie Jones will be mentored by singer Nicole Scherzinger on the show, as he competes alongside 11 other acts for a coveted recording deal.