‘Favourite book? Actually I don’t really read’

He won the X Factor aged just 18, has released five albums and is one of pop’s most likable chaps. But Joe McElderry remains a down-to-earth South Shields lad at heart.

When we chatted last week he was “visiting everywhere” promoting his new album. How does he cope with such a busy schedule?

‘It’s not hard,’ he chuckled. ‘I'm not going down a mine or anything like that, am I?

‘It’s a lot of travelling, it’s a lot of long hours but it’s great to have a job that I love. From day one from being on X Factor I've been on a crazy schedule'

Joe was just 17 when he auditioned for X Factor in 2009 and was happily swept along with all the show offered him, learning on the job how to be a pop star.

‘When you're on a show like X Factor it is a bit of a whirlwind,’ he recalls. ‘I threw myself into it and I enjoyed it, I kind of just took it for what it was.

‘I didn’t have a clue what I was doing at the start of it because I hadn’t really had experience of this business. I was kind of learning on the job, but I think that was one of the best things that could of happened.’

And despite having former mentor Cheryl Cole’s number (they still text “now and again”) Joe is keen to stress showbiz circles are not where he is most comfortable.

‘I've worked hard to ensure I still have a lot of normality in my life,’ he explains. ‘I bought a place back in Newcastle, I made a conscious decision for that to be my place, pretty much straight after X Factor. It means that I have to do a lot of travelling but it’s worth it because I still have all the same school friends, I still go on nights out back at home with my friends.

‘I try and keep that normality away from my professional life so it does create a barrier between the two because sometimes in this industry your work can kind of merge into your life and before you know it kinds of wrapped in this whole whirlwind of craziness.’

What does he do to unwind? The usual it seems.

‘I like to just, you know, go on a night out with friends, get everyone round, have a pizza, have a few drinks, watch films, go to pictures...’

His favourite place in the world he says, without hesitation, is home. His favourite food is his “grandma’s mince and dumplings.” Running “chills him out” and clears his mind. But he doesn’t have a favourite book. ‘I don’t really read. I should read but I don’t,’ he confesses.

Having achieved so much so young, is there anything that 21-year-old Joe still is eager to do? ‘I would love to go over to America and perform in a really iconic venue like Madison square garden’s that would be amazing,’ he enthuses.

If the past three years have been anything to go by then I’m sure it’s just a matter of time...

Joe McElderry’s new album Here’s What I Believe is out now on Universal Music.