Your image is a lot tougher these days - is that deliberate ?
I think it's got a lot to do with just getting older, you know. Now we don't have to do anything we don't want to - what you see is basically our personalities coming through. We all dress how we feel comfortable.

Do you think it's hard to date when you're a pop star ?
No, not at all. I'm quite open about dating because if you're cagey that's when people start to gossip about you and fortunately no stories have come out about me - at leased, no truthful ones - about who I date. I'm so in your face that no one actually realises, and it's not hard! I go to Sainsbury's, I go up Oxford Street with my girlfriend, and no one's ever seen me, because I'm so in your face it seems too obvious.

Are you conscious of being sexy when you're doing band type things ?
No, I don't think so. I'm just naturally me. I know it's strange, but I find it very hard to be somthing I'm not. If you said to me, 'Be stupid,' I'm just, 'How do you be stupid?' I'm not the sort of person to do silly things, like when we filmed the Mr Bean video - I just ended up looking like a plonker.

What opening lines do girls use on you ?
To be quite honest, I'll only go out in London. People don't care who you are there. Occasionally you'll meet a fan, but usually people just say, 'Oh, there's so and so,' and move on. They're really nice that way. I don't know whether it's respect, or they literally don't care who you are!

Ever been mistaken for another celeb ?
Actually, as much as I'm ashamed to admit it - not that there's anything wrong with the guy, he's just not my style - I was once mistaken for Peter Andre! I was in B&Q and the girl at the checkout said to me, 'Oh, you really look like Peter Andre,' and I was just like, 'No Way!' She didn't know who I was, and that's what made it even funnier. Then she said, 'So do you have a stomach like him?' I was laughing me head off! Like I said, there's nothing wrong with guy, I just look nuthin' like him!

Do you find it easy to tell someone you love them ?
It depends if I'm serious or not. I can jokingly say, 'Oh, I love ya,' but I find it difficult to tell people I'm close to. I can tell me girlfriend I love her, that's not a problem, and me ma, whenever I say goodbye on the phone I'll say, 'I love ya,' but I've never told me da I love him, and I probably never will - you know, it's more like, 'Nice one, see ya!'

What's the last romantic thing you did for someone ?
Erm... I don't consider myself a romantic person. To me, romantic is tacky, so I just try to be a gentleman - I'd never walk in a door before a woman, stuff like that.

There are always loads of people around you. Don't you ever find it a bit claustrophobic ?
No, because normally we just have Mark, our tour manager, with us, then when we go on tour we take Barry and John for extra security. We don't like loads of people.

Are you happy with yourself at the moment ?
Very. It's nice to get compliments, but I feel right with myself at the moment, the way I look and the way I am. I'm very happy.

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