Wow! Cheryl Cole speaks EXCLUSIVELY to US about her triumphant X Factor return!

CHERYL COLE made a triumphant return to X Factor this weekend - after a dramatic helicopter arrival at a stately mansion.

The beauty - dressed in clingy white shift dress with hair in a topknot - arrived as a surprise Guest Mentor with Gary Barlow.

And as she stepped out of the chopper to cheers from Gary's group, she greeted the stunned Contestants and beamed: "I've been in both positions. I've been here and I've been on your side so I know how you are feeling. I'm just so excited to be here. I wish you all the best of luck."

Cheryl's arrival at Boughton House in Northants was surrounded in secrecy. Contestants had their phones hidden from their arrival on Friday so they would not find out about Cheryl. And she had to be hidden under a TABLECLOTH borrowed from the home's owner, the Duke of Buccleuch, so that Contestants wouldn't see her sitting next to Gary as the chopper landed in the magnificent lakeside gardens.

The pair - who performed at the Queen's Jubilee concert this year and climbed Mount Kilimanjaro for Comic Relief together - spent 20 minutes in the air hovering out of the way while the Contestants waited nervously.

Then as they landed, Gary got out first to hugs and cheers as Cheryl stayed hidden behind the tablecloth. After a short pep talk, Take That star Gary introduced her by saying: "Now it's time to introduce my very special guest. It's safe to say that this person knows a thing or two about the competition."

As Cheryl finally stepped out, the delighted Contestants ran forward to greet her, with one gushing: "She smells amazing." The ride got off to a rocky start when Cheryl spotted a spider inside the helicopter - and immediately jumped back out again.

A source from Boughton House said: "She's terrified of spiders - but after it had been removed, she was cool as a cucumber. The ride itself didn't faze her at all."

Welcome back Chezza!