[ ClassicalX ] I loved climbing the lions as a kid

Portsmouth holds very special memories for Paul Potts, especially the stone lions outside the Guildhall.

The opera-singing sensation and winner of Britain's Got Talent, spent many happy family holidays here as a child, and recalls clambering over the statues with his brothers and sister when they visited.

Says the Bristol-born son of a bus driver and supermarket cashier: 'My family used to spend every summer in Portsmouth, and virtually every bank holiday for about 17 years on the trot.

'We started off staying at Eastern Road caravan site and we'd walk into Southsea and the city centre. We used to enjoy going to the funfair at Clarence Pier, and we loved climbing over the lions in Guildhall Square.

'I know Portsmouth very well. It's changed a bit since then, but we always used to have this illusion that it never rained in Portsmouth! It was always sunny when we were here.'

Paul, who will sing at the Stansted Park Proms tomorrow (Saturday July 19) and who also performed at Portsmouth Guildhall earlier this year, says he's no longer tempted to scale the stone statues: 'I don't think I'd make it,' he laughs, 'and my wife wouldn't let me!'

The former Carphone Warehouse salesman and shelf stacker met his wife Julie Ann through a dating website five years ago, not long after he'd suffered a succession of health problems including appendicitis, a benign tumor, and a broken collarbone, which forced him to become unemployed for two years.

The couple, who lived in a tiny two-bedroom terrace house in Port Talbot, Wales, scrimped and scraped with Julie Ann helping her husband to pay for more than £12,000 worth of voice lessons (partly funded by Paul's £8,000 runners up prize from Michael Barrymore's TV quiz show My Kind of Music).

But after so many disappointments, he was ready to give up on his dream – until his television appearance 14 months ago.

The nation warmed to the Britain's Got Talent contestant, not just for his singing skills but because they saw a trembling, sweaty, very nervous everyman - startled as a rabbit caught in the headlights and too shy to smile because of his crooked teeth.

The voting public knew Paul Potts deserved to win. But he had a look of utter disbelief on his face. If he lost, he was planning to quit and throw away the small fortune he'd spent on singing lessons.

'If anyone had told me 14 months ago that I'd be doing what I love for a living - that I'd be travelling the world, singing - I'd have thought they were barking mad,' laughs Paul.

The man who once admitted he'd spent most of his life feeling insignificant and anonymous has become one of the most popular 'hits' on You Tube and has sold two million copies of his debut album.

For a so-called shy guy Paul Potts has got a lot to say these days. Well, wouldn't you if you're dreams had just come true?

'It took a while to sink in and, although I'm exhausted, I'm loving it!' grins Paul. 'The first few weeks were a blur. I was on a completely different planet with the shock of it all. But this is something I've dreamed of all my life, singing professionally, and to have been given the opportunity to make that dream real and to know that people are enjoying my music - it's more than I ever dared hope for.'

The talented tenor has just completed 77 concerts in 144 days. Despite his whirlwind schedule, the 37-year-old says he's keeping healthy these days.

'I've now been round the world three times in a year. I'm enjoying it. It takes time for the body to adjust, though. I've just come back from L.A. via Tokyo and my body doesn't know what's hit it.

'But I try and eat healthily now, although it can be very difficult, especially in the States where portion sizes are just huge! I also try and drink as much water as possible. I like a good wine but I try to drink in moderation and just achieve a balance. I always aim to drink twice as much water as I do wine or coffee. Especially on a plane which is a very dehydrating atmosphere.

'It's good to be back in England for a bit. I hope to visit my older brother who's on HMS Illustrious - John's a warrant officer chef, and he always gets a load of stick about me!'

Paul says he's still the same down-to-earth man he ever was, and he's determined success won't go to his head. Even if he was tempted, he says his family and friends would never let it happen.

Says Paul: 'I'm constantly being reminded that I used to sell mobile phones. My younger brother, Tony, has bought a couple of ring tones with me singing which he loves to play to me for a laugh!'

Paul Potts once claimed he was his own worst critic. Is he any easier on himself since his success?

'No. The opposite. I'm constantly improving myself. I'm not the finished article. I've still got work to do and I hope that will always be the case because once you've got as good as your gonna get, it's downhill all the way!,' he laughs.

Hopefully that won't happen before he releases his next album at the end of the year.

Says Paul: 'It will be a very traditional Christmas album with a lot of popular carols and Christmas songs. I've enjoyed what I've been recording so far and made my wife is very jealous with the sun tan I've got from Los Angeles where the recording studio is.

'She didn't come with me this time. She had tickets to see Bon Jovi. I can't compete with Bon Jovi!'

Source: The News (Portsmouth)