Daniel duets with hero Sir Cliff
IRISH
superstar
Daniel
O'Donnell
cemented
his
status
as the
nicest
man in
pop as
showbiz
friends
showered
him with
glowing
tributes
at a
glittering
Variety
Club
Dinner
in his
honour.
Daniel sat in awe at Manchester's Palace Hotel on Monday night as friends and stars paid their emotional respects to the singing sensation who is famed for being as devoted to his fans as they are to him.
And the 600 admirers who snapped up tickets for the charity spectacular got a special treat at the climax of the night when Daniel took to the stage with his musical hero, Sir Cliff Richard.
The pair whipped their guests into near-hysteria as they sang Cliff classic Travelling Light, swivelled their hips to Elvis's All Shook Up and crooned The Carpenter's Yesterday Once More.
Other musical guests on the night, including Irish music stars Mark Roberts, Mary Duff, Sean O'Farrell and Liverpool's Charlie Landsborough, then joined the stars on stage for a mass sing-a-long of White Christmas and O Come All Ye Faithful.
The event was sponsored by Tourism Ireland, who led the tributes to Donegal lad Daniel, who they credit with boosting visitor numbers to his homeland.
Sir Cliff had earlier paid his respects to the Irish crooner, saying: �We are both so lucky that we go on stage and see people who really care for us.
�I feel sorry for many of the new artists, who although are very talented they get dumped very quickly, and that's because people don't love them.
�The world needs more artists like Daniel, someone you can trust and love and who is a huge role model.�
After hearing all of the heartfelt tributes, Daniel, who has enjoyed 20 years in showbiz, quipped: �I feel like I've just been to my own funeral.�
He praised his loyal fans, saying: �My thanks come from within my heart. I could never, ever express how much I appreciate your support. The only downside of my success is the time we can spend together is less.
�I used to be able to spend two or three minutes speaking to you all, but now it can be two or three seconds, but those seconds are as important to me as the five minutes were at the beginning.�
Stars of Coronation Street, one of Daniel's favourite TV shows, turned out for the occasion, including Liz Dawn (Vera Duckworth), Bill Tarmey (Jack Duckworth), Andy Whyment (Kirk Sutherland) and Julia Haworth (Claire Peacock).
On the stroke of midnight, organisers brought out a birthday cake for Daniel � who celebrated his 45th yesterday.
Then he was off to do his trademark walkabout � shaking the hands of all his fans well into the wee small hours. What a guy!
Daniel sat in awe at Manchester's Palace Hotel on Monday night as friends and stars paid their emotional respects to the singing sensation who is famed for being as devoted to his fans as they are to him.
And the 600 admirers who snapped up tickets for the charity spectacular got a special treat at the climax of the night when Daniel took to the stage with his musical hero, Sir Cliff Richard.
The pair whipped their guests into near-hysteria as they sang Cliff classic Travelling Light, swivelled their hips to Elvis's All Shook Up and crooned The Carpenter's Yesterday Once More.
Other musical guests on the night, including Irish music stars Mark Roberts, Mary Duff, Sean O'Farrell and Liverpool's Charlie Landsborough, then joined the stars on stage for a mass sing-a-long of White Christmas and O Come All Ye Faithful.
The event was sponsored by Tourism Ireland, who led the tributes to Donegal lad Daniel, who they credit with boosting visitor numbers to his homeland.
Sir Cliff had earlier paid his respects to the Irish crooner, saying: �We are both so lucky that we go on stage and see people who really care for us.
�I feel sorry for many of the new artists, who although are very talented they get dumped very quickly, and that's because people don't love them.
�The world needs more artists like Daniel, someone you can trust and love and who is a huge role model.�
After hearing all of the heartfelt tributes, Daniel, who has enjoyed 20 years in showbiz, quipped: �I feel like I've just been to my own funeral.�
He praised his loyal fans, saying: �My thanks come from within my heart. I could never, ever express how much I appreciate your support. The only downside of my success is the time we can spend together is less.
�I used to be able to spend two or three minutes speaking to you all, but now it can be two or three seconds, but those seconds are as important to me as the five minutes were at the beginning.�
Stars of Coronation Street, one of Daniel's favourite TV shows, turned out for the occasion, including Liz Dawn (Vera Duckworth), Bill Tarmey (Jack Duckworth), Andy Whyment (Kirk Sutherland) and Julia Haworth (Claire Peacock).
On the stroke of midnight, organisers brought out a birthday cake for Daniel � who celebrated his 45th yesterday.
Then he was off to do his trademark walkabout � shaking the hands of all his fans well into the wee small hours. What a guy!
Posted: 14th. Dec. 2006.
