OPERA BOOK FILM PRODUCTION CHARITY WORK A STAR FOR DARIUS TRIBUTES
Say Cheese!
News Of The World - Sunday Magazine
July 2002​
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He lost Popstars and Pop Idol, but now Darius has the record deal of his dreams.
What did you do with your ponytail when it was chopped off ?
I'm sure its on some barber's floor. I can assure you it won't be coming back again. It was only there because I was rebelling.
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On Pop Stars you said by the time you were 35 you'd have a triple platinum-selling album. Do you still reckon you'll make it ?
I said that two years ago and I've grown up a lot since then. I just want to make music and be happy. But if you look at the Pop Idol album, which I'm on, it's close to triple platinum.
How far would you go for fame? Would you have a finger surgically removed if it meant you got a platinum seller?
Oh God, no.
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What's the strangest place you've ever "felt the love"?
I felt a lot of love on the Pop Idol tour. It was great going on stage in my home town and seeing people stand up and cheer.
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Any regrets about not making the final cut for Hear'Say?
Not getting into Hear'Say was great for me because it thoroughly established that I wanted to be a solo artist. That's why I went through Pop Idol.
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Who do you prefer, Liberty X or Hear'Say?
I don't have a preference but I love Liberty X's song "Just a Little", it's awesome.
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Apart from Will and Gareth, have you got any celebrity mates?
I went to the Spiderman premiere party recently and Tobey Maguire hadn't seen Pop Idol but had heard about it. I met Leonardo DiCaprio as well and he said : " Good on you and I hope to hear your album." I got some real encouragement from Travis as well.
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Did you vote in the Pop Idol final?
No, but I was there in the studio supporting both Gareth and Will.
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Lets say mankind would be destroyed if you didn't make babies with one of the Pop Idol finalists. Which one would be feeling Darius' love ?
Oh gosh, it would probably be safer to face the extinction of the human race, rather than let me breed with any one of the final 10 contestants.
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Do you get much fan mail?
I get an incredible amount - some of its just addressed to Darius, Pop Idol, Scotland. Some of them even send me their underwear.
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What turns you on?
Wit, beauty, intelligence and art.
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And what turns you off?
Bad breath, mushrooms and pollution.
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What do you like best and least about your body?
-I've got far too many issues to start telling you now, you wouldn't have enough space.
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When was the last time you were naked in front of more than one person ?
-Last week when I was doing a photoshoot just outside Las Vegas. I was in a desert and I had to undress there, but I wasn't naked long enough to get sunburnt.
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Whats the best and worst thing about being Darius Danesh ?
The best thing is that I'm living a dream. The worst thing is that I don't want to wake up and find out its a dream after all.
When did you last get into a fight ?
It was with Simon Cowell actually. You should have seen what happened after I confronted him on national TV.
Did you give him a good kicking ?
I don't know about that! Hes got a big, wide chest. I don't know whether I'd mess with him.
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Whats the most hurtful thing anyone has ever said to you ?
-It was from an ex-girlfriend when I was about 18. She told me she didn't love me. That was about as hurt as I've ever been in my life.
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What two things would you take with you to a desert island?
My guitar and my little brother, because hes the most entertaining man in the world. I love him to bits and I'm sure we'd be survivors.
Sunday's Cheeseometer.
Some say hes so cheesy that he should advertise crackers. We put Darius to the test.
How did you feel when Neil Fox branded you cheesy?
-If he couldn't see the fact that I was jumping through hoops for the judges, I feel sorry for him.
What's your favourite cheese?
Cheddar.
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What's your favourite cheese-based recipe?
Macaroni cheese, because its straight and simple.
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Ever been to Cheddar Gorge?
I've never been there, I've never met anyone from there and I have no desire to go there.
If you were a cheese, what would you be ?
Cheddar, because everybody loves it.
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