Chart-topping former soldier James Blunt has led an interesting life, but unfortunately he's rather coy about it, Debbie Waite discovers.

You've got to feel a bit sorry for James Blunt. Not only has been shot at more times than Bruce Willis, he's been accused by critics as making "music for bored housewives", and Essex FM apparently banned all his songs, after listeners repeatedly called and said they were "fed up with them".

(Not surprising really when you consider the station had the hit single You're Beautiful on constant rotation for 14 months and played Wisemen 26 times in a week!) To add insult to injury, the comic Weird Al Yankovic has released a parody of You're Beautiful entitled You're Pitiful on his website.

So I'm not entirely surprised when his PR announces he's not giving interviews at the moment.

Shame really.

After reading his biog, he sounds pretty interesting as singers go.

Born James Blount, (his name was changed for his music career) in Tidworth, Wiltshire, on February 22, 1977, he is the son and grandson of senior army officers.

He was sent to board at Elstree School aged seven, and at 13 was accepted into the prestigious Harrow School. While there, and aged only 16, he became one of the youngest holders of a UK private pilot licence. After reading aeronautical engineering at Bristol University on an army bursary, he was required to enlist on graduation. So he joined the Life Guards, the senior regiment in the British Army, and during his four years service was promoted to captain and served as a Nato peacekeeper in Kosovo, becoming one of the first to enter those areas where war crimes had been committed.

It was this, no doubt traumatic experience, that led to his writing of the song No Bravery.

After his tour of duty in Kosovo, Blunt was sent to Switzerland, where he became the captain of the Household Cavalry downhill ski team. And one of his final duties in the army before retirement was the funeral of the Queen Mother on April 9, 2002, where he carried her coffin.

Not a bad CV for anyone, but this doesn't take into consideration what Blunt has done since leaving the Army.

His debut album, Back To Bedlam, and subsequent single releases especially the number one hit You're Beautiful brought him huge, almost instant, fame last year. Six weeks after its debut, the record propelled his album Back To Bedlam to number one on the albums chart, unseating X & Y by Coldplay.

Along with vocals, he plays a wide variety of instruments including the piano, guitar, organ, marimba, and mellotron.

And his style is a mix of rock, northern soul and folk rock has led to comparisons between him and early Elton John.

Plus, he became the first British artist to top the American singles chart in nearly a decade when he reached number one on the Billboard Hot 100 earlier this year. The last British artist to do so was Elton John in 1997 Robbie Williams must be spitting feathers!

On top of that he sounds like a pretty nice, down-to-earth bloke too. He says his records are all about normal things which have happened to him, and told Oprah Winfey You're Beautiful is based on a true story when he saw his ex-girlfriend at a subway station with another man. He's obviously got 'issues' just like everyone else.

The videos for all three of his singles to date feature symbolism and dark imagery: in the video for High, he's buried in a desert; in the video for Wisemen, he's kidnapped and held hostage, before walking through a forest on fire, and in the video for You're Beautiful, he alludes to suicide by drowning, albeit surrounded by some pretty foxy mermaids.

Listen to his clipped Army tones and there's no doubt about it - he's posh. So maybe that's why some of the more rough and ready music acts have slagged him off.

But he's also got a sense of humour and admits to being insecure about his height.

Currently dating East European beauty Petra Nemkova, he says: "American women are an inch taller (than British women). An inch makes a huge difference to me, because I'm a pretty small guy!"

The singer goes on to say his mother has always compared him to Tom Cruise, but he didn't think it had anything to do with his height - until now.

"I'm not as small as him, but maybe she's having a subversive dig!" he adds.

Whether you love him or hate him, the music's obviously what it's all about for Blunt, and it doesn't look like he's short on fans - tickets for his concert at Blenheim Palace on Friday sold like hotcakes. Plus, You're Beautiful is reported to have pulled a little girl out of a 10-day coma. A website reports that Claudia Dealwis opened her eyes for the first time since falling 15 feet from a balcony, as her favourite song was played on the radio at Burnley General Hospital.

So put that in your pipe and smoke it, Weird Al Yancovic!