The tragic truth behind Bashir’s X Factor trial

He WON global renown for his TV interview with Princess Diana — and documentary about Michael Jackson, whom he filmed at his Neverland ranch.

But Martin Bashir’s next telly appearance promises to be more emotionally charged than anything he’s yet attempted.

His decision to star in tomorrow’s The X Factor: Celebrity is inspired by the memory of his older brother Tommy, who succumbed to Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) in 1991 aged only 29.

Bashir, 56, a devout Christian, says that he could hear Tommy telling him that he had ‘no excuse’ not to sign up to the singing talent show.

‘The real reason why I’m here is that I am one of five children and my precious brother Tommy was born with muscular dystrophy,’ Bashir, who is patron of Action Duchenne, which promotes awareness, raises funds and offers support for those affected by DMD, explains. ‘ When you grow up with a child and you fight over toys and you’re aged four and he never fights back and then by the time he is 13 he can’t feed himself, you feel that you have no excuse for turning down opportunities.

‘every time I have faced a challenge, I have heard him whispering, saying: “What excuse do you have?

‘“You have no excuse, you have never sung but someone has come to you and said give it a shot,” and that is my motivation.

‘When he died I didn’t speak about it for about seven years.

‘It was only in 1997 when I sat down one evening and wrote a piece about it for a newspaper that was published.

‘I think the other thing is that my mum is still alive, she’s 80, and for her obviously the loss was enormous, but she also knows because I was the main carer for my brother as a child that he was incredibly influential.’