What a birthday treat Mary -- night out with Bon Jovi!

Melanie Finn, Showbiz Editor

X FACTOR sensation Mary Byrne got the best birthday present ever -- a VIP invite backstage for Bon Jovi's Dublin concert.

The Herald can reveal how turning 51 was certainly a memorable occasion for the Ballyfermot mum, who's down to the final ten in the hit competition.

She was "over the moon" after getting a phone call from mentor Louis Walsh, who broke the good news about her invitation to meet rockstar hunk Jon Bon.

"He was the one who broke the good news to her about the invitation," said a source.

"She couldn't believe it when he told her that Jon had invited her backstage at his Irish gig.

"She's a huge fan of his so it was the best present ever for her. It's really made Mary's week. The past few weeks on the programme have been hard but now she's really starting to enjoy all the perks that comes with her new-found fame."

The chart-topping rockers will be playing in Ireland at the RDS on June 28 and 29 -- and it's up to Mary to pick which date she'll attend.

stardom

The singer was inundated with messages of congratulations and good wishes for her birthday, which she celebrated while in the X Factor house.

Her daughter Deborah (23) is due to fly over to see her performing in the hit show for the first time, as her mum continues her quest for stardom.

This weekend will see the crooner performing Faith Hill's There You'll Be.

Even though the artists are meant to keep their songs under wraps, she let it slip during a radio interview.

"It's a beautiful song and it's very touching. If I can put it across the way I put across my old ballads, the whole of Ireland and myself will be crying," she explained.

She also plans to stay living in the X Factor house now, despite the noise levels from the younger contestants.

"They are great kids and I love living there. Louis just thought if I wasn't getting enough rest he was going to put me in hotel room, but I thought that would be very, very boring so I decided to stay where I am," she said of the rumours that she would be leaving the house.

The X Factor diva is now a shadow of her former self after dropping a dress size .

And daughter Deborah (24) said her mum would go to extreme measures to continue her weight loss regime.

But she said Mary, who's a size 20, would only have radical surgical procedures if everything else failed.

"It the offer was there, she could, but I think she wants to do it naturally," said Deborah. "If it came down to the crunch, and she had to, she probably would."

mfinn@herald.ie