Injured star's fans get the message

By CLAIRE TREVETT

For more than a week, Daniel Bedingfield's fans have huddled together in their little corner of the internet, agonising over the injured pop star as he lay in his Whangarei Hospital bed.

Finally, there was a collective cyber-sigh of relief when a message from the man himself was posted on his homepage this week.

The 24-year-old singer and songwriter is in hospital with two fractured vertebrae after the four-wheel drive vehicle he was in rolled on a dirt road near Whangarei a week ago.

"Right now I feel okay and very grateful to be alive," his message told the "boardies" - those who use the Bedingfield message board.

"I don't remember much about what happened, but I've seen pictures of the car and feel blessed to have got out of there at all."

For fan Moana, the relief was palpable.

"I feel all warm and cosy now," she wrote. "That's all I needed, a wee little message."

His "boardies" knew he was on his annual summer pilgrimage to his New Zealand birthplace after a hectic sell-out European concert.

They were already missing him, a week after his pre-Christmas departure from Britain.

The usual topics of discussion - Daniel's hair, Daniel's sunglasses, Daniel ring-tones - stopped when news came that Bedingfield was in hospital after the crash on his way back from a visit to the Youth for Christ Summer Harvest camp.

The first posting about the accident was greeted with disbelief.

Then floods of messages came through as the worst was confirmed.

Die-hard fan Su said she had never been religious but "maybe this is when I was meant to find my 'faith'."

"I hate being so far away from him. He's given me some of the happiest times of my life."

Amanda felt "numb, sick, worried, scared, needy all rolled into one" and asked if it was "all just a horrible dream and that it will all be over soon?"

Each ended with the mailer's favourite photo of their man - sultry stubble-faced Daniel, laughing Daniel, Daniel holding the microphone.

An internet prayer meeting was set up for the many Christians in the forum, electronic get-well sites were formed, and lyrics to a Celine Dion song were re-written for Daniel.

One organised a collection to buy "a dozen red roses, tied up with a blue ribbon, Dan's fav flowers and colour".

As the fans voraciously hunted for any extra tidbits on their idol, they lambasted the media for its intrusiveness, debating the ethics of posting a photo taken as Bedingfield was carried on a stretcher from the crashed vehicle.

New Zealand fan Cat said the board was a good place for fans to vent their worries.

Many British fans followed him from concert to concert.

"They pray for him and look to him for inspiration," she said.

"The board has a Christian flavour and I think that's really lovely.

"Some people have become Christians because of Dan and his music and it's just a really nice place to hang out."

In his message, Bedingfield thanks the doctors and fire brigade, and says he will focus on recovering.

"I'm sure I will be getting bored, but I'm in the middle of writing the new album, so when I feel up to it I'll start writing some more and my label is even going to get some studio equipment to make it a bit easier."

He said he would be in New Zealand for two to three months.

"But having an accident like this really puts things into perspective, so I'm not going to rush the process of getting better, but will just take my time."

Daniel Bedingfield's official website

Chart-topper

Daniel Bedingfield was born in 1979 in Auckland and moved to England with his New Zealand parents at 3 months old.

He became well-known in Britain in 2001 when his debut single, Gotta Get Thru This, inspired by his unannounced love for a girl, topped the charts for three weeks.

His next singles, Never Gonna Leave Your Side and If You're Not the One, were also chart-toppers in Britain and by last August, 1.5 million copies of his debut album, Gotta Get Thru This, had been sold in the UK. It has sold nearly 3 million worldwide.

He has been compared to Michael Jackson and lists Sting, Stevie Wonder and arranger Quincy Jones as among his inspirations.