Nina's Darius World

Yesterday we told how the Pop Idol star found it hard to cope with his father's battle to survive lymphatic cancer and called time on the relationship.

Darius, who has since dated Hollywood beauty Natasha Henstridge, says Jacqui was 'the right girl' for him.

He admitted: 'The truth is that I had a long-term relationship with the girl who I think is the right woman for me, but we met too young and that's why Jacqui and I split.

'Our split was a very private affair and it was not something that I thought I needed to talk about at the time. It all happened under the radar.

'But the truth is we parted on good terms. We loved each other when we broke up and that made it so painful because there was no third party involved.

'It was a very complex break up and I still adore her. But so much is going on in my life.

'Her life was taking a different turn as well. She is moving to Hong Kong to work. It's not true that I dumped her for another woman. We split long before I'd even met Natasha.'

The break-up took place as Darius struggled to come to terms with his fame and, like Fame Academy winner David Sneddon, almost quit the music industry.

During the recording sessions for his new album in Los Angeles and Miami, Darius found himself questioning his star status.

He explained: 'I was staying in the Tides Hotel in Miami's South Beach and got upgraded to a penthouse suite that Harrison Ford had moved out of that morning.

'I was with the girl of my dreams, Jacqui at the time, and it was wonderful.

'I was with Puff Daddy and went to his decadent party in this amazing house with Crystal champagne on tap - very like something out of a music video.

'I was experiencing decadence in hotel rooms. But it didn't mean anything. It didn't make me a better person and didn't really teach me anything.

'In the five months previous to hearing the news of my dad's illness, I had writer's block. So I moved back with my mum and dad and kept it low key. I didn't go out partying.

'I was like a stereotypical novelist, sat at his desk with scrunched-up paper on the floor. I was pulling my hair out. I felt my self-esteem was low because I wasn't achieving anything.

'I was wondering what I was doing with my life. It was like a mid-life crisis only it was a quarter-life crisis.

'I was sat there telling myself, 'Darius, you're c***'. Every time I wrote a lyric it was something I'd heard before.

'But I realised I was lucky that I had been given the chance to spend this time with my dad. That feeling of gratitude inspired me to sit down and write the song Live Twice for him. The song has become the title track of Darius's new album which is released on October 25.

It is the follow up to his 2002 debut album Dive In, which sold 1.25 million copies and spawned hit singles including the chart topper Colourblind.

His new single called Kinda Love is out on October 18, and features a guest appearance by Canadian-born Natasha, who he met in June.The pair hit it off instantly, though Darius admits their first date was one of the most embarrassing moments of his life.

Darius recalled: 'I thought she'd be perfect for the video. So I sent her the song and she liked it, but I didn't know that until we met up.

'We were meeting for lunch at The Mondrian hotel on Sunset Boulevard in Los Angeles.

'Jay Kay from Jamiroquai was there and he and I had been hanging out together. We'd hang out at the pool or go to the nearby Cuban restaurant.

'We were at the pool and I told him I was going to get changed to see Natasha.

'I went to my room to get showered, threw on a crisp clean shirt, Chinos and sunglasses in order to look respectable.

'I wanted to be presentable. When I got back Jay Kay, in the pool, spotted Natasha making her way through the crowd towards us with a big smile on her face.

'He said to me, 'Look, you've got to have a drink waiting for her. Take this one'. I leaned down to grab the Mojito in his hand and he grabbed my wrist and flipped me into the pool. I landed on my back with a splash. All the girls, models and record producers were all there, laughing at me.

'I was completely soaked with my sunglasses hanging off my face and I looked up to see Natasha standing over me with a towel in her hand.

'She introduced herself to me and I said, 'Hi, I'm Darius.' That was the beginning.

'We had lunch and spent a couple of days together and things went from there. It was wonderful.' Darius has decided to put his relationship with Natasha in limbo to concentrate on helping his dad beat cancer. But he denies he has bedded a string of beauties since splitting from Jacqui - such as Emmerdale beauty Amy Nuttal with whom he was photographed earlier this week.

Darius fumed: 'The other night I was photographed as I was escorting a girl out of a nightclub to a waiting taxi.

'Immediately, people were saying that she was my new girlfriend or that I spent the night with her. The truth is I believe in the old school values that my dad has instilled in me.

'If a lady is on her own at two in the morning and she is leaving a nightclub, you take her to a taxi and escort her on your arm.

'Am I supposed to change the way I am because there are paparazzi outside?

'I was also linked to a couple of girls who were Jacqui's friends because she couldn't make it and she asked me to take them out.

'Nothing that I have read in the last four months has been accurate. But it is true that I've dated Natasha and what will happen with her and I in the future is anyone's guess.

'It isn't true that I have moved in with her though. Come on, do you think we would move in together after a second date?

'I'll see how it goes with Natasha. I feel right now that I have to put all of my love and attention to my family.

'When I am with a woman I like to feel she is the centre of attention but right now I can't do that because there's so much going on in my family.

'I have to be single to a degree. I enjoy the company of women, but it's also a really busy time with my album coming out.'