Sam’s pain over Vichai

X FACTOR winner and Leicester City fan Sam Bailey was devastated by the death of the club chairman in October’s helicopter crash.

Sam, 41, became friends with

Vichai Srivaddhanaprabha after she constantly talked about the club on the talent show in 2013.

The billionaire gave her a

Cartier watch in thanks when the Foxes were promoted. Sam went straight to the team’s King Power Stadium as soon as she heard about the crash that killed five.

She saw his son Top and said: “We held each other for a minute. I just kept saying ‘I’m so sorry’.

“Vichai did a hell of a lot of stuff for charity and you can tell by the staff who work there, he cared and looked after them. He was also a great support for hospitals and he was a lovely guy.”

Sam, in Peter Pan in Leicester until January 6, said: “I think Leicester will be grieving for a very long time.

“Whenever they play they’ve got Vichai in their back of their mind.

“When he died everybody in

Leicester felt about him the way we felt about Princess Diana.

“Never take people for granted as you never know when it’s your time”.