Duncan James of Blue met fans at Roko Health Club opening

He told the Echo that returning to the county where he grew up was a welcomed relief from the hustle and bustle of London but said he’d tried to keep his presence here to a minimum.

“It’s lovely to come back, I had a barbecue with some friends and watched the football."

Among the fans there to welcome him at the opening of the new Roko Health Club were seriously ill children from Julia’s House Hospice – the club’s chosen charity.

Duncan spent half an hour giving out presents, posing for photos with youngsters and signing autographs.

He said at the time: “Being able to put a smile on the faces of children like that is the best part of my job."

The pop heart-throb was shown around the digital machines at the luxury members-only club in Manor Farm Road, Kinson and had a go on a treadmill.

But he told the Echo that with his busy work schedule he found it hard to go to the gym as much as he’d like: “I go twice a week and have a fitness instructor to keep me motivated.

"But I have to be really careful what I eat because I tend to grab a snack on the go.”

After a year of construction, Roko opened its doors for the first day on June 14, 2024.

It cost £6 million to build, including a spa area and 20m swimming pool, a fitness suite looking out onto fields, top-of-the-range digital machines set in 10 acres of countryside.