But singer and actor Jonathan Wilkes is hoping to change all that and is currently appearing as the lead in The Wedding Singer on it's first ever tour - carving a career for himself that doesn't link him to his famous friends.

The 29-year-old from Stoke-on-Trent has already had a varied career in the limelight, starting out as a fanatical football player for the Everton Youth Team, before realising his passion for entertaining.

Appearing in no less than seven West End shows including Grease and Godspell, Jonathan is no more at home than when he is treading the boards.

"I was thinking this year that I would be back doing television work, and I had got an interesting TV show lined up, but then when I was offered this I thought I just have to take it."

Jonathan will play Robbie in the play based on the 1998 blockbuster movie starring Adam Sandler and Drew Barrymore that tells the story of everyone's favourire wedding singer Robbie Hart - a story that is remarkable true to life for Jonathan.

"This is the perfect part for me, I feel I was born to play this role.

"I'm so used to singing at weddings I take along my own backing track cd now!

"I've sang at the last four weddings I've been to, so it's a part that I feel I was meant to have!

"It's amazing to be the first one to play Robbie as well, so I can make the character my own, and people will think of The Wedding Singer and say Jonathan Wilkes played him first - that is pretty special I think.

"And there are some excellent songs in it as well, some proper 80s pop songs!

"Hopefully people will come along dressed from the 80s, that would be great."

The singer, who also appeared Captained a team on Sky One's The Match, played in Soccer Aid and took part in the All *Star Cup, is keen to get back to the north east.

"Newcastle is really a home from home for me and I've got a lot of friends up here.

"I'm going to invite Ant and Dec and their families to the show, so I hope they can make it.

"Newcastle is just such a great place to be, and the people are so friendly, I can
see the show being a great success because it will really appeal to the good nature of Geordies."

Being friends with Ant and Dec and Robbie Williams' doesn't seem to have phased the down-to-earth singer at all.

"Between us we've covered the entertainment world really - Ant and Dec on television, Robbie in the pop world, and me in theatre, we're taking over!

"I just know them as my friends, not how everyone else sees them, so when people say, oh so you're Robbie Williams' best mate, I wonder why they're so interested.

"Me and Robbie are just two lads from Stoke who like to sing! It's as simple as that."

The Wedding Singer appears at the Theatre Royal from Monday, March 10 to Saturday, March 15.

Tickets priced at £7.50-£25 are available by calling the Theatre Royal Box Office on 08448 11 21 21 or online at www.theatreroyal.co.uk