Nina's Darius World

The New series of Pop Idol has already filled the tabloid newspapers with stories of how nasty Simon Cowell is, but Darius Danesh hasn't got a bad thing to say about him.

"I was really glad that I met simon Cowell and Pete Waterman. I think I learnt a lot from the situation," he says of his stint on the first series of Pop Idol, in which he came third.

"I've got no regrets. In fact, I've got a lot of respect for the people that I've worked with because everyone's at the top of their game.

"Although I declined a record deal from Simon Cowell, I've got the utmost respect for him because he's a stupendous man. I think he's really charming and funny and he's not necessarily the nasty guy that he appears to be.

"I think sometimes he's being honest but sometimes he's a little too honest. He's not exactly diplomatic in the way he phrases things but I respect him for what he's done."

And he's enjoying watching the latest batch of contestants sing for Simon and co on TV.

"I've been watching Pop Idol 2. It's very funny," he says. "It brings all the memories back and they're all good.

"I'm glad I was in the first versions of Popstars and Pop Idol. There was no pressure and there was no way of gauging how you would act or react to people so it was all real."

Luckily for him, being himself won Darius a place in the hearts of the nation.

"I think that a lot of people feel that they can just come up to me and start talking about stuff and sometimes that's surreal," he says of the impact of reality TV on his life.

"It's a good thing because it lets me get some feedback from people and they feel that they can be honest with me with their feelings - what their favourite song is or what a certain lyric means, etc. These things are accessible because they feel that they know me."

Not that Darius minds people talking to him in the street. While some pop stars give the impression that fame is an unfortunate by-product of their art, Darius is the first to admit that for him it's one of the perks of the job.

"People come up to me and I love it. Part of the job is being recognised and it really gives me a buzz," he says, giving the impression that he thrives on the attention.

"I love signing an autograph and seeing someone's face light up - it's great. It's part of my daily routine and it's the little things that make me smile each day and make me realise how lucky I am to be doing what I'm doing."

And Darius has a reputation for giving fans a little more than an autograph. In a teenage girl's magazine he's cited as a soft target for fans who are on a mission to snog a celebrity.

"I don't know about that," he laughs. "I have kissed a girl at one of my concerts - I pulled her up on stage and kissed her after singing a song to her and I made sure she didn't have a boyfriend."

But Darius won't be getting hands-on with any of his fans for a while.

"When I have a girlfriend I'm very loyal. I was cheated on when I was 16 by a girl that I was very much in love with and I've learnt that you should always treat the people that you care for the way you like to be treated," he says.

"I'm seeing someone now. I don't know how long it will last but I just love enjoying stuff for the day and for the minute. I tend to throw myself into relationships and I'm a bit of a romantic. I love lavishing things upon the girl I'm going out with."

Indeed, Darius has always been quite the romantic. He composed his first song at the tender age of 13 as a St Valentine's Day gift for a girl he had a crush on.

"After I sang the song to the girl, I put my guitar down and she leaned forward and kissed me - it was pretty amazing," he says. "She ended up going out with my best mate, though, so obviously I wasn't very good at writing songs !"

But this early knock-back hasn't put Darius off writing personal songs.

"I think songs are a great way of expressing how you feel. Every lyric is about something I've experienced or somebody that I met. Everything is personal but it takes on a different meaning when you share it with a wider audience and people are able to relate it to their experiences. It's a great feeling when you share that with people."

Sharing his music with people is something that Darius absolutely loves doing.

"I'm excited by the prospect of doing stuff that I really enjoy without it feeling like it's work," he enthuses, "It allows me to do long hours. I get into the studio and I've been working on my book [his autobiography] late at night and during the day doing a gig.

"I try to fit a lot into the day and I work a seven-day week but none of it feels like work. It just feels like stuff that I love doing.

"But the thing I love doing the most is the gigs, because that's when I get to meet and see the fans and get the response."