Lady GaGa gave the 'x factor' contestants a hair grip as a souvenir.

The eccentric singer was a guest performer on the last series of the reality TV show and gave the hopefuls a ''pep talk'' before they took to the stage and then handed over a memento of their meeting.

Marcus Collins - who came second on the show - said: ''She was in her rollers and gathered us all together for a pep talk.

''She told us she'd auditioned for things like this loads and never got anywhere, so we'd done really well. Then she gave each of us a Kirby grip and said, 'These are my very own.' ''

Despite her worldwide fame, Gaga surprised the contestants when she admitted she was nervous about appearing on the show.

Marcus added to more! magazine: ''She was dead nice. She asked if we had any questions. I asked her if she was scared about her performance and she said, 'Yeah, I am actually.' Who would've thought it?''