In a surprising gesture of goodwill, Justin Bieber has claimed he does not want to be Christmas number one. Instead, the Where Are You Know singer has asked his Beliebers to support the NHS Choir's charity single in the name of Christmas.
With just two days to go until the winner is announced, the popstar shared his thoughts via Twitter, writing: "I'm hearing this UK Christmas race is close...but the @Choir_NHS single is for charity. So...
Justin has expressed he does not want to be number one
"So for 1 week it's ok not to be #1. Let's do the right thing & help them win. It's Christmas. @Choir_NHS good luck," he wrote.
His incredible gesture caught the attention of his 71.9 million followers, even receiving a gracious reply from the NHS Twitter: "Thank you Justin Bieber!" and the NHS Choir, who were grateful for his kind words, even suggesting a collaboration with the Canadian star: "@justinbieber Next time you're in the UK, we should have a singalong together. Thank you so much."
Justin's big-hearted suggestion has had hundreds of thousands of retweets and he even added a little festive cheer, writing: "This is what it's all about. Merry Christmas :)"
The popstar wants the NHS charity single to win
The Lewisham & Greenwich NHS Choir's single A Bridge Over You almost beat Justin's Love Yourself track overnight and is now just 662 combined sales behind. All proceeds from the single will go to charities, including Carers UK and Mind.
However, Justin Bieber and the NHS Choir are not the only competitors. X Factor winner Louisa Johnson's Christmas song, a cover of Bob Dylan's Forever Young, is also a favourite. The TV show's winner has historically done well so the 17-year-old may still have a chance to grab the title.
Justin's gesture came as a surprise to his Beliebers
Martin Talbot, Chief Executive of the Official Charts Company, said: "As well as climaxing on Christmas Day for just the fourth time in history, this year's race for the festive Number One is looking like one of the closest ever.
"With just two days to go, it really is too close to call - possibly the most exciting battle since Joe McElderry took on Rage Against The Machine in 2009."
The much-anticipated race will end at midnight on Christmas Eve, with the results being announced by 1pm on Christmas Day.