Charmer still has the X Factor

Newlywed Steve Brookstein has just returned from his honeymoon in Rome when we speak, after marrying his long-term girlfriend two weeks ago.

Yet I still do not escape the trademark flirtation which made him so memorable on the X Factor two years ago.

"I'm glad it's a woman interviewing me," he says. "I prefer talking to women, not just because I'm a flirt but I just find them easier to talk to.

"It's a shame I didn't speak to you two weeks ago, before I got married!"

Despite his cheeky comments, Steve is full of praise for his new wife, jazz musician Eileen.

"The wedding was great, we had a really good day. It went relatively smoothly, as smooth as these things can, it just flew by. She's a good egg."

When I speak to him, Steve is on the road in Scotland - where he got married - going from one radio station to the next performing live acoustic sets.

He is in the middle of promoting his new album, entitled 40,000 Things, which he claims to be 10 times better than his first attempt - a catastrophe for which he blames Simon Cowell.

"The new album is going to be different. My influence has always been Marvin Gaye and the song writing has come from all my experiences in the last 10 years," he explains.

"This album is wicked, it is work I want to develop over the next year. I'm not looking to sell hundreds of thousands of copies in week one. We have got a good fan base and it's growing and I think this album will do the same.

"After X Factor, I felt isolated and unrepresented. They tell you what to sing, what to wear and what to talk about - it just wasn't me." The 37-year-old is not bitter about the show. In fact he has no regrets at all about appearing on it, despite the grilling he got each week from Sharon Osbourne.

"I actually loved doing the X Factor and I always get misquoted about it," he says. "People always speak out about the fact I had to have this certain management which is true but I really loved it, I had a great time."

"For me it was a life changing experience and I would tell anyone to go for it but just make sure you keep your eyes open.

He adds: "If you carry on thinking you are the best thing since sliced bread then you're deluded and people will see that.

"The show is just an opportunity and the worst thing to do is to think everything will get handed to you on a plate afterwards."

Dulwich-born Steve is looking forward to performing in Croydon again.

"The last time I played in Croydon was when I supported Dionne Warwick," he recalls. "And in two years I have gone from supporting her to doing my own gig at the same place. I am so excited about the tour."

He still revels in the recognition he gets from fans and is realistic about where he would be without having appeared in one of the biggest reality shows on television.

But he believes hard graft also has a big part to play and that the secret of his success is far closer to home.

"What actually made me is the fact I have got a bloody good voice," he asserts.

"There is only so long I can keep thanking my singing teacher and it's the same with X Factor. It's really nice to come to terms with that fact - especially when you have people like Sharon Osbourne telling you you're crap.

"If you work hard then luck and opportunity will come together and you can only do your best. If you don't believe in yourself then no-one else will.

"I know there are a lot of singers out there better than me but I'd like people to judge for themselves and come and see the show."

Steve's album, 40,000 Things is out in shops on September 25.

He is playing at Fairfield Halls on Friday, October 13 at 7.30pm. Box office 020 8688 9291 (booking fee) or visit fairfield.co.uk