X Factor's Mason Noise is using olive oil to prepare for this weekend's performance

Oh yes, apparently gargling with the oil and hot water is just the thing for the singer who's suffering with strained vocal chords.

"It makes you feel sick," Mason told RadioTimes.com (perhaps unnecessarily, I don't intend to try it). "But I need something to lubricate me. I’m feeling very, very dry."

Mason hasn't simply gargled the first thing he's put his hand to in the kitchen. "It was a tip from a vocal coach," he explained.

"The thing is lemon and ginger and honey is good when you’ve got a cold and you need to clear the bacteria out, but if you’re trying to regain that hydration, it’s terrible for you. Olive oil is almost like oiling a car," he explained.

It seems he's in need of a bit of help as his strained vocal chords - coupled with a cold and lack of sleep - means he's (at the time of writing) actually yet to practice his performance for Saturday.

"I'll do it on the night," he insisted of his cover of Jealous by Nick Jonas.

And Nick Grimshaw's act insisted he's not heading into the weekend with misplaced confidence, he just wants to enjoy the process more.

"If you take this too seriously, you’re going to do exactly what I’ve done - make myself ill. It’s one of those experiences where it’s over so quick, the more you worry the more you’re going to waste it. I’ve done it through this whole experience. I’ve got to the point where I’m tried of worrying. Over it. However it goes, it goes."

The X Factor continues Saturday and Sunday at 8:00pm on ITV