Housewives’ favourite and classical crossover unit shifter Russell Watson breaks from stardom by “people avoidance”. His favourite distraction: computer games.

“I lock myself in a dark room and sit and play on a PlayStation,” the self-declared People's Tenor – who rocked up at Decca Records after years on the working men’s club circuit and turned classical commercial – reveals to The Guide.

“It’s a fantastic form of escapism. You have to do it otherwise you go mad. I can switch focus and don’t need to use my voice.”

The voice is his treasure. Our interview is rescheduled several times so the Salford-born singer can rest his vocal chords. The day before, he’s been holed up playing Infamous on the PS4.

“It’s off the scale,” he gushes. “You start as a regular Joe Schmo and have to go through the course of defeating various people to build yourself into a superhuman being who has all manner of different powers.

“In a nutshell, I never grew up.”

He wanders round gamers’ heaven Game when he’s got time off.

“When I go in most people are grown men. There are very few kids. You’ll see these guys picking up Disney games and saying, ‘I’m just getting this for my son.’ Yeah right.”

It’s not too dissimilar to the gents who secretly love his music, he thinks.

“I remember I was doing this record-signing at HMV and there was a line of ladies waiting to have their CDs signed.

“You could see this guy towering above all these ladies. He walked up after a couple of old dears – he was 6ft 5in, looked like a trucker and had a big fat grey beard.

“He looked down at me and said, ‘Er, will you sign this for me mum please Russell,’ “I said, ‘Yeah, of course I will, what’s her name?’ He went, ‘Stan.’”

Too good to be true, I say.

“Totally true. I signed it, To Stan, lots of love Russell.”

Watson has never lacked confidence.

He called his first album The Voice. When the 47-year-old says cracking America is his next big target, he means it.

Only a life-threatening brain tumour stopped him last time he set out to convert the biggest English language musical market to classical pop crossover. Simon Cowell never managed it.

His international career is on the up.

His most recent record, Only One Man, features a duet with Filipino singer and Asia superstar Regine Velasquez.

He has a big following in Japan and is soon to head out East to do a round of concerts after his version of Nessum Dorma soundtracked Japanese box office hit Thermae Romae. He’s been asked to record on the sequel.

“But there is this big place called America which I’ve had my eyes set on for a long time. In the early stages of my career, back in 2001 and 2002, I had a great deal of success out there. We had a gold record with the first record and the second was equally successful but unfortunately I got ill and it’s difficult to get back there again.

“But I feel fit enough to get stuck in again. So we are presently putting that campaign together.”

He’s out of his contract with Sony and is constructing a team he has chosen.

“You look at the likes of Tom Jones and he has family members working for him. People he can trust without any second thought. That’s very important in the music industry.”

In the meantime, he has a single to promote, The Homeground Anthem, a charity song to celebrate the centenary of the start of the First World War. There is a spring tour of big songs, without the usual “easy numbers” such as those by Nat King Cole or Frank Sinatra.

“I’m doing two full spots. It is heavy duty and taxing both vocally and physically. I’ve got to be right on top of my game. The gig prep starts from the minute I get up.”

That will be steaming, vocal exercises, eating fruit and vegetables, avoiding milk, then packing the car, arriving at the venue for three hours of rehearsals, before a quick dinner and a three-hour show. Then it’s packing up and doing autographs as well as meet and greets.

Working hard is not the only reason he’s the nation’s biggest selling classical crossover. It’s about “finding beautiful tunes and reconstructing them and turning them into songs”.