His female fan base will be in mourning but for the record: Duncan James is well and truly loved up. The Hertfordshire heartthrob has finally hooked up with the love of his life - Anya Lahiri - and he isn't going to let anything spoil it. "She's my girl," he gushes. "I've never met anyone in the whole world who's made this impression on me. She's head and shoulders above everyone else." That means Anya tops a fairly prestigious list. Having been linked with Tara PT, Kate Lawler, Martine McCutcheon and Jordan, Duncan's become almost as famous for the women he's dated as he has for being in the country's biggest boyband. He was dubbed a "love rat" when he appeared to briefly dare Anya, from defunct girl band precious, only then to be linked with South African dancer Janine Boosie.

Things naturally petered out with Janine, but Duncan explains nothing could've happened with Anya, 21, as she was still with her long-term boyfriend. It was when they split this summer that Duncan, 24, made his move: "It's so lovely to be with someone. I've always had a soft spot for her, but I never once tried to kiss her when she was in a relationship. We're taking it very slowly. We've had a little kiss and it feels amazing. She's just come out of an 8-year relationship, so she doesn't want anything heavy and I don't want to jinx it."

But when your the most fancied member in Blue, keeping a low profile is hard - especially when your neighbours are Jack Ryder and Kym Marsh. "They're a really nice couple," he says. "But it means there's always paparazzi outside our homes ."He says the attention has changed him. "I sued to be pretty immature about things, but now I'm the opposite of that - I've become more of a thinker. "Duncan's main focus is now providing for his mum Fiona - he has his own TV company with Tara PT and has signed up with an acting agency - and making things work with Anya. 

He even co-wrote Blue's latest single Guilty about her. "I wrote it with Gary Barlow. I poured my heart out to him and we put the track together. When Anya heard it, she started crying. She's got my mum's approval, which is tough to win. I couldn't be happier."