Mel B might have made a big splash on The X Factor so far this year, but she appears to be keeping her options open by dipping her toe into the world of acting.

The former Spice Girls star is to appear in a special festive version of ITV's Coronation Street as part of the channel's Text Santa appeal.

"It is a cameo but she will be playing a character who isn't connected to her personally," a source told The Sun.

"It will be Mel — but not as we have seen her before. It is fair to say there will be a lot of walking along the cobbles."

However it won't be the first time that Mel has appeared in the long-running show.

She had a brief stint as shop worker Amy Nelson in 1993 - a year before the Spice Girls blew up into the world's biggest girl group.

And a friend of the 39-year-old star said: "Mel has always loved Corrie. It was one of her first tastes of showbiz and jumped at the chance of appearing in it again."

Cheryl Fernandez-Versini appeared in last year's Text Santa Corrie special - pulling pints alongside Michelle Keegan at the Rovers.