Temporary defunctioning ileostomies are routinely used to protect distal anastamoses in patients undergoing low anterior resections for rectal cancer. We describe a case of a 77-year-old man where an incidental Meckel’s diverticulum was used as an alternative defunctioning conduit in the formation of an ileostomy. This resulted in reduced operating time, reduced risk of vascular compromise to the stoma and satisfactory stoma function.