Nina's Darius World

Darius Danesh is super-confident - his smooth charm makes you think he's had life easy. But recently the 24-year old has had it far from easy. Just over a year ago his father, Booth Danesh, a 62-year old doctor was diagnosed with lymphatic cancer.

'When I was told that Dad was ill it turned my world upside down,' recalls Darius. 'At first he was only given three months to live. I was so scared that I might lose my father. Nothing else mattered. It really draws into focus the misplaced importance you attach to so many things. I felt I'd give up anything just to be able to save my father from pain and suffering.'

At the time of the diagnosis Darius was in Los Angeles, enjoying a typical 'pop star' lifestyle of girlfriends and parties, but he dropped everything to be by his father's side in London.

Darius took turns with this mother Avril, also a doctor, and brothers Aria, 20 and Cyrus, 9, sleeping by his father's bed.

Incredibly, a year later his father was in full remission - and remains so.

The experience has had a profound effect on Darius.

'It's made me re-evaluate my life and everything around me,' he says. 'You realise how lucky you are to have health in the first place.'

As well as changing his diet - he now eats seven portions of fruit and vegetables a day - he's embraced alternative therapies, and is learning reiki.

However, when he's not steaming veg or mastering the healing arts, he is still keen on the company of glamorous young women. He's been linked with a string of them - from Geri Halliwell to the beautiful Hollywood actress Natasha Henstridge and model Jacqui Ainsley - but he won't name his current love.

'Every time I talk about a relationship, it doesn't help it.' he says. 'But I cooked dinner on Valentine's Day for one lovely young lady and I'm still seeing her and hope that it will work out.'

Keeping relationships going is difficult for Darius, who divides his time between Edinburgh, London and Los Angeles, where he writes and records. And while he admits he's 'enjoying being young', he harbours one dream.

'My mother and father have had a wonderful relationship, and I hope that one day I might find the woman I can have the same kind of relationship with,' he says.

'I'm a romantic, a believer in love. I want children - lots of them, boys and girls. I'd love to be a good father and husband. That's my goal in life. It's great to have a platinum record and travel the world but it's not an end in itself - still, I'm enjoying the ride!'

He may be a bit cocky, but here's why we love him... * At a gig in Glasgow Darius invited a child on stage and got down on one knee to sing to her. But he'd forgotten he was wearing a kilt - with nothing on underneath!
* The nation laughed when he performed his excrutiating rendition of Hit Me Baby One More Time on Popstars. And when he was booted off and declared he'd one day be 'bigger than Hear'say' the nation chuckled all the more. But Hear'say split in 2002 - and he's still topping the charts.
* His masterful reply to one of Simon Cowell's criticisms on Pop Idol was: 'Simon, your waistband is so high, you might want to undo it one notch because it might be restricting the blood flow to your head.' Simon later said it was one of the best put-downs he'd ever heard.
* Once, just before he was due to go on stage, a female fan proposed to him and placed a ring on his finger. As he played guitar, his fingers swelled up and a friend had to saw off the ring before it cut off his circulation.
* He dressed up in a new shirt, jeans and shades for his LA poolside meeting with actress Natasha Henstridge, whom he'd picked to star in his video. Stupidly he told the singer Jay Kay, who was lying by the pool, how nervous he was about meeting the beautiful girl. Jay Kay tricked him into bending down, then flipped Darius into the pool - right in front of Natasha!