The Peterborough singer has joined fellow finalists from the ITV1 talent show to cover the 1993 Mariah Carey hit Hero in aid of armed forces charity Help For Heroes.

The single is being tipped for number one when it is released later this month, meaning Aston could be involved with a chart smash even if his band JLS fail to win the TV competition.

But the 20-year-old former Jack Hunt School pupil, who has friends in the armed forces, says he is privileged just to be able to show his support for a worthy cause.

He said: "To have a number one single before the X Factor competition even starts to hot up would be phenomenal, but for me its an honour just to be involved in this."




"Some of my friends are in the army now and are doing their bit for their country.

"All I am is a singer, while they are out there risking their lives for a cause, so for me to be able to lend a hand by doing what I love best is an amazing feeling."

The single will be available to download from October 25, and proceeds from sales will be donated to Help For Heroes, which supports wounded troops injured in war zones.

Christine Bonner, whose son Corporal Darren Bonner (31) was killed in Afghanistan last year, said it was "fantastic" Aston was helping to raise awareness of the charity.

Mrs Bonner, of Tydd Gote, near Wisbech, said: "It's going to have a huge impact on the charity, because I'm sure many young people don't know anything about it.

"Help For Heroes is such a wonderful charity, and the X Factor singers are really lucky to be involved in helping such a great cause."

Millions of X Factor fans watched at the weekend as Aston, whose family live in West Town, Peterborough, and his band won through to the last stages of the contest.

JLS will compete in the opening round of the live finals this Saturday, when viewers will get their first chance to vote for their favourites.

Even though the identities of the 12 finalists were not made public until Sunday, competitors have known of their fate since the show was recorded nearly a month ago.

Aston, who is holed up with his rivals in the X Factor house in London and rehearsing for Saturday's programme, said it had been a struggle to keep the secret under wraps.

He said: "It has been crazy and very hard to keep it quiet.

"It is like one big family in this house. They are all top people and it's going to be hard to see people go.

"But even though we've all formed such a strong bond and we're not in the competing frame of mind yet, we still know that competition is the name of the game."

Bookies are quoting JLS at 14/1 joint fifth favourites to clinch this year's X Factor title. Seventeen-year-old solo singer Laura White is the 3/1 frontrunner.

Related:
ET Comment, 7 October 2008.

Elsewhere online:
Help For Heroes - www.helpforheroes.org.uk.

Royal British Legion's Poppy Fund - www.poppy.org.uk.