I Dion't believe it! X Factor and Strictly go head to head over singer Celine

The rival shows have been fighting their hearts out for the French-Canadian diva and amazingly it seems Strictly has won

If they were squabbling over Madonna, Kylie, Britney or Beyonce, I could understand the almighty clash...

But the true battle between BBC’s Strictly Come Dancing and ITV’s X Factor is for... Celine Dion. And it’s become bitchy.

The rival shows have been fighting their hearts out for the powerhouse ­vocalist over past weeks. Amazingly, I’m told Strictly has won – and Celine will belt out some classic hits on the ballroom show in the lead-up to Christmas.

It is bound to annoy X Factor bosses that the French-Canadian singer – famed for THAT Titanic song – has chosen to warble her way on to the BBC to appear ­alongside Tess Daly and Brucie instead of joining Team Cowell.

A pal of Celine’s tells me the Beeb has agreed to pick up ALL her costs to fly in and appear on the show to promote album Water and a Flame – which features a stonker of a duet with Stevie ­Wonder.

“It’s been insane,” says my mole. “X Factor wanted contestants to fly out to Las Vegas and sing live. Celine doesn’t tend to do anything like that these days because she’s a perfectionist with her vocals.

“She always likes pre-recorded ­performances because she freaks out big time if she gets a note wrong.

“Celine’s taken advice and decided Strictly’s the way forward. They said they’d pick up all her costs and pulled out all the stops to get her on board.

“She will be flown in with her team, perform ‘live’ on a pre-record and jet back to Vegas to continue her shows there. It will be a whistle-stop visit but will do the job to promote the album.

“X factor must be gutted. They thought Celine was one of the secret weapons they could pull in, especially with so many artists unavailable or on down-time between albums.”

But little does Strictly realise what it’s got itself into. My source says it could cost more than £200,000 to make her performance a reality.

“She doesn’t do anything by halves. She will have a team of people – stylists, make-up, hair and her PA. Then there’s first-class tickets for ­everyone, luxury hotels and expenses. It will cost an absolute fortune for the show.”

There are few divas that ­command such a huge amount of ­attention – and Celine’s one hell of a diva.