More than 3,000 fans mobbed Marton's Tesco superstore as the darling of the tabloids arrived to sign copies of his new album.

And he told The Gazette it was "great to be back" in the resort – a holiday favourite when he was boy.

Screaming girls and adoring fans queued for hours to meet the heartthrob.

Andre said: "When you do an event like this, you never expect anything, but you always hope for a couple of hundred people.

"But to get people in their thousands and the great British public support, it's everything.

"I love Blackpool. Before my family emigrated to Australia, it was our holiday destination when we were young. To get to now come and sign and perform here is just unbelievable."

The 36-year-old former husband of glamour model Katie Price – aka Jordan – has dominated the front pages and gossip columns in recent weeks.

Although an hour late, fans were only too happy to give Andre, whose hits include Mysterious Girl and Insania, their support.

Teenage girls and grown women were reduced to tears when he arrived to wild screams.

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