"Hi Closer readers – I’m so excited about bringing you my new weekly online column!
“This week has been so much fun. On Sunday I took part in a charity football match, and I was on the winning team! Calum Best was the captain and Lee Latchford-Evans from Steps was our manager.
“Also on the team was Jake Wood, Dean Gaffney and Dan Osborne – so just loads of men and me. But we had a really good line-up of players and it was a great day out.
“I also played a few gigs and I judged a talent competition the other day, and it was weird being on the other side of the table.
“Strangely enough it was at a holiday camp that I used to go to and do shows at when I was in a band, and to go back there and all of a sudden everyone wants to have photos with you was very surreal.
“There was nearly 2,000 people in the room and they were all staring at me and it felt really strange! But most important was the talent – I was blown away. It was so professionally done with the crew and it was exactly the same format as the final of The X Factor or Britain’s Got Talent. There was a backstage television crew interviewing people and they were going into to the crowd – it was so well done.
“I performed as well and it was just crazy. There was a couple in the audience who used to live on the same estate I lived on when I was a kid, and their son was my first ever kiss! They came up to me saying, ‘Our son was the first ever person you kissed’, and I was like, ‘Oh, what?’ It was bizarre, but it was nice to feel the love from the crowd.
“This week I was shocked to read about Josie Cunningham and her confession that she had an abortion to further her career.
“First of all, no matter how you feel towards a person, you can never judge someone for having an abortion – that’s why it’s legal in this country. You never know somebody’s story, or the reason behind it, so to pass judgement is wrong.
“Having said that, I’m a big believer in forward planning and if something like that got in the way of my career and I fell pregnant, it would give me more drive to carry on going and do the best I can.
“I genuinely believe that when you have a baby, everyone’s circumstances are different. But to make a comment such as Josie’s, it’s no wonder it’s had such a big response.
“In my case, I was quite lucky because I have a loving husband, a home and a family and I’ve got room to have another baby. Some people are not so lucky. But to actively say ‘Yeah yeah I got pregnant and had an abortion because I wanted a nose job’, that’s just quite immature really. Look after your body and be a bit more responsible.
“Although I’ve been trying to keep up with The X Factor this year, work has been getting in the way and I missed the Six Chair Challenge. I was actually the first person in the country to get one of those seats so I know exactly what the contestants were going through.
“It’s so on the edge of your seat, you’re sitting there and you learn to love the other people in your category, you’ve been with them at boot camp and you have partied with them.
“You’re kind of hoping they’ll f*** up a little bit, because ultimately it’s a competition, but at the same time you want them to get through.
“I did hear about Simon Cowell’s comments after he found out he’d be mentoring the Over 25s. He mentioned the Overs won last year, with Ben Haenow, but he forgot to point out that I won the year before – so the Overs are flying at the minute.
“But if I was in his category this year, and I heard the remarks he made, I would want to prove him wrong and it would have given me the drive to do that. Negativity can also breed positivity.
“I’ve been working really hard this week rehearsing for my first ever West End show! It’s a one off at the Lyric Theatre and it’s full of songs from all different musicals.
“I’ve got some amazing people coming along and having a bit of sing with me. Callabro, Jaymi Hensley from Union J, Caroline Sheen and the Guildford School Choir.
“I’ve also got eight amazing dancers and a wonderful band so it’s gonna be a night of Sam Bailey, as me, doing some amazing musical theatre and singing some great songs.
“The kids aren’t quite as excited about mummy doing a West End show as you’d think! My eldest, Brooke, is not too fussed by my job at all, to be honest. She’s got a school trip on the 12th, the same day as the show, and I was like, ’school trip or go and see mummy in the West End?’
“She chose the school trip. She’s quite chilled about it, she’s like, ‘Yeah, mum’s a singer – whatever!’ But you know, they kind of shrug it off their shoulders and they are used to it.
“They say to me, ‘Where are you going?’ And I tell them I’m going to a show, and they say, ‘Oh alright, I’ll get mummy bear’. I bought them all a giraffe holding a little baby giraffe and that’s mummy bear and they get that out when I’m away and have a little snuggle and it’s like I’m right there next to them.
“I’m so excited for the show, but also nervous because I’ll be completely out of my comfort zone. It’s something that I’ve always wanted to do, so it’s an incredible achievement for me and at the end of it I will pat myself on the back and have a nice cup of tea to celebrate, before going home to the kids!
“Right - I’ve got to get back to rehearsals, but make sure you keep an eye out for next week’s column and let me know what you think on Twitter!
“Love, Sam xxx”
You can buy tickets for Sam's West End show here!